Star Trek Online: The Novel
by Ben Griggs
Summary: A novelization of the game Star Trek Online. Main character is a Starfleet Tactical officer. Follow his adventures as he takes command of his first ship. I do not own Star Trek Online.
1. Graduation Day

Chapter 1 Graduation Day

Cadet James Maxwell stood on the grounds of Starfleet Academy. In the distance he could see San Francisco Bay and the famous Golden Gate Bridge. He quietly reflected on the last four years of Starfleet training. His specialty was tactical operations and his dream was to be a MACO. This did not mean he would not be well-versed in the other careers having earned the nick-name "Mr. Extra Credit" by taking as many Engineering and Science extension courses as possible.

His reflection was interrupted by Elisa Flores, his best friend since childhood and fellow tactical officer. He smiled and approached her. "Good morning Elisa." He said.

"Good morning, glad to see you finally awake. You know what today is right?" she asked excitedly.

"How could I forget? You've only been reminding me for the last three months. You get your assignment yet?" Maxwell asked

"I was first in line so yes. By the way Razkii is up ahead, he wanted to thank you for your help on the astrometrics final." She said

"Ok, I'll talk with him. See you later." Maxwell replied

Cadet Maxwell continued up the path and met Cadet Razkii, a Saurian talking with Zarva, a Bolian. Saurians are a reptilian species with wide eyes and red skin. Bolians are blue-skinned aliens with ridges on the head. Razkii recognized him and excused himself from the conversation. "There you are. I wanted to thank you for helping me pass that final and for all the other times you've helped me. I hope Starfleet recognizes everything you've done to help our class. What ship did you get?"

"I haven't received my assignment yet. I'm on my way there now though." Maxwell replied.

He began to walk away when Razkii turned and said "By the way, T'Vrell wanted to talk to you. She should be further up the path."

"Thanks Razkii."

Maxwell walked further up the path and recognized the Vulcan in question. T'Vrell the science officer. He smiled and waved at her. "Hi T'Vrell, Razkii said you wanted to talk to me?" he asked.

"Yes. It was…good of you to encourage me to retake the linguistics final. I was willing to accept my original score but you saw I was not at my best that day. My score increased by 12.7%, well within my standard norms. I now qualify to serve as both a science officer and communication officer."

"Well done T'Vrell."

"Morek is further along the path. He wanted to speak to you." She said, lifting her hand and splitting her fingers in the traditional Vulcan salute. "Live long and prosper."

Maxwell returned the salute and continued down the path. Cadet Morek is a Benzite, a blue-skinned alien with a cat-fish-like face. This particular Cadet was another science officer. "There you are! Getting excited yet? Once we finish our training cruise we'll all be full-fledged Ensigns. The buzz is Captain Taggart hasn't named all the senior staff yet. From what I heard the advanced phaser training drill is tripping people up." He said

"Thanks for the info Morek. Excuse me." Said Maxwell.

Maxwell turned to the left to find the building with Lt. Ferra and entered it. The line for final assignments had died down quite a bit. Ferra spotted him as he walked up to the counter. "Good afternoon Cadet. What can I do for you?"

"Is this where I get my training cruise assignment?" Maxwell asked

"Yes. I have the complete list right here. Name?"

"James Maxwell."

"Let's see…interesting. Report to Captain Taggart. He's in the office behind me."

"Is there a problem?" Maxwell asked.

"You're going to have to ask him."

Maxwell nodded and went to the office. He touched the bell and heard the Captain's response. "Come."

Maxwell entered and stood at attention in front of the Captain's desk then reported "Cadet James Maxwell reporting as ordered sir."

"At ease Cadet. I've been following your progress here at the Academy and I must say I'm impressed." Taggart said

"Thank you, sir." Replied Maxwell.

"I was just checking your final scores but I don't see your results for the advanced phaser training program." Said Taggart

"I was under the impression that I had tested out of that simulation sir. My scores in basic were quite high."

"I understand but I still want you to take it. Everyone on my senior staff is required to take that test."

"Did you say 'senior staff' sir?" Maxwell asked.

"I did, as I said I've been following your progress. If you complete the program, I can put you on my bridge. I'll ask my tactical officer to set it up for you."

"May I ask who that is sir?"

"Another fine cadet like yourself. Someone you know quite well I'm told."

"Cadet Flores sir?"

"Indeed. Her scores were nearly as high as yours although she has some blemishes on her record. I'm sure she'll settle into a fine officer someday. Meet Cadet Flores in the quad, she'll set up the simulation for you. I'll see you when you've finished. Dismissed."

"Yes sir." Maxwell said. Then he stood at attention again and executed a perfect about face and walked out of the office. He met Flores in the quad and she led him to the main building. She smiled as he approached. "Hi James. I got the Tactical officer spot, just what I wanted. Where did you end up?" she asked

"Captain Taggart said he wanted me on his senior staff but I have to pass advanced phaser training first. He said to have you set the simulation up." Maxwell replied

"I thought you tested out of that? Oh well. Should be easy enough for you Mr. Never-Miss-A-Shot." She said playfully.

His accuracy with a phaser was well-known throughout his class. He began following her to the console where she would set up the simulation. "Seems most of our class ended up on Captain Taggart's ship." She said

"That should work out quite well." Maxwell replied.

They arrived at the console outside the main building. "Setting up the program now. I hope holodeck 2 in your lucky holodeck." She said as she tapped the console.

"You've run this course right? Anything I should watch out for?" Maxwell asked

"Not really. Pretty basic stuff actually. Shoot things don't die. All set. Phasers are in the lockers near the holodecks. Follow me." She replied

They moved into the building and through a door leading to a series of hallways. The lockers were on the right. Maxwell grabbed a phaser and put it in the holster on his right side. Flores led him to the appropriate holodeck and stood outside. "Good luck." She said

Maxwell entered the holodeck and stood in the center of the room. "Computer begin Advanced Phaser Training Simulation."

The holodeck changed from a yellow grid to a hallway of Klingon design. There was a door right in front of him so he approached it. As he got closer it opened revealing a bridge of some kind. Along with half-a-dozen Klingons. He quickly drew his phaser and began firing. He shot the first Klingon then aimed at the second. He quickly moved through the targets and eliminated them all. When it was over he stood in the center of the room checking for additional targets but finding none. "Holodeck simulation complete." Said the computer.

The holodeck returned to a yellow grid with Elisa Flores and Captain Taggart standing just inside. Taggart smiled as Maxwell approached. "Well done Cadet. You're not going to break the academy record but your score was more than satisfactory." He said

"Thank you Captain. Do you have an assignment for me now?"

"Absolutely. I have a new first officer. Congratulations."

"First Officer, sir?" asked Maxwell surprised

"Yes, you should be proud of your accomplishments here, Cadet. You have a promising career ahead of you in Starfleet."

"Thank you sir. It will be an honor serving with you."

Taggart nodded then left to go to his ship.

Elisa looked at him beaming in pride. "First Officer! Way to go! Just a little jealous I'll admit. At least now you'll get to boss us all around like you've always wanted." She said jokingly. Then she saw the time. "We better get up to the shuttle-bay for the ceremonial send-off toast." She said

"Right, let's go." Replied Maxwell.

They both exited the holodeck and got in a turbolift. The lift took them one level up to the shuttle-bay. He saw the rest of his classmates near the bar. "The senior staff is waiting by the bar. I'm sure everyone is nervous, this being our first real assignment and all. So I'm expecting an inspiring speech out of you. Something heartwarming. Make T'Vrell cry. The mission could just determine the rest of our careers. No pressure." She said

"Gee thanks…" Maxwell replied as he followed her to the bar.

Maxwell joined Flores and the other cadets at the bar. After getting his drink he stood in front of the class. "May I have your attention? We are the senior staff of the U.S.S. Ranger. Every one of us has trained for the task at hand and we're ready. I have the utmost faith in all of you to do your duty. We are the best the Academy has to offer and together, we can do anything. We will go boldly as Starfleet has trained us. We will apply all the lessons learned and we will be the best in the fleet. To the Academy! To the U.S.S. Ranger and her crew."

Maxwell lifted his glass and toasted the class of 2409. "The class of 2409." Repeated the senior staff. Then the computer came over the loudspeaker. "All cadets, please board your shuttles."

Maxwell took one of the pilot seats while Flores took the other seat. The other cadets took seats in the back. "Alright Ms. Flores, take us up." Said Maxwell. "Yes sir." She replied with a big smile.

The shuttle lifted off and a few minutes later they were in orbit. As they passed Earth Spacedock Flores looked out the front viewport. Coming out of the space doors was the U.S.S. Vesta, a Multi-Mission Surveillance Explorer. "The U.S.S. Vesta, first of her class. She's got a crew of seven-hundred and fifty, subsystem targeting and auxiliary pulse cannons." Said Flores

T'Vrell spoke up, "The ship is also equipped with a quantum field focus controller."

"And I can't wait to captain one someday…But here's our ship." She said pointing to a much smaller vessel sitting in a shipyard. "Miranda-class, two-hundred crew, two forward weapon mounts, one aft. Average speed warp five point nothing. She's a tough little ship though, not a bad one to start out on. Looks like we're the last shuttle, we need to get to the bridge quickly."

Flores landed the shuttle without incident and the cadets offloaded. "Alright people, let's get checked in and get to our duty stations."

"Yes sir." They replied.

Maxwell led the group to the duty officer, Lt. Brikkars. She looked up, "Name and position?" she asked.

"Cadet James Maxwell, Acting First Officer."

"I have your record right here sir. Welcome aboard. Captain Taggart is waiting for you on the bridge." She replied

"Thank you." He said then moved to the turbolift.

"Cadet Flores, Acting Tactical Officer."

"Cadet T'Vrell, Acting Science and Communications officer."

"Cadet Zarva, Acting Chief Engineer.

"Cadet Morek, Acting Medical Officer"

"Cadet Ann Porter, Acting Helmsman."

He heard each of them check in and get in the turbolift. "Deck 1, Bridge." He said.

A few seconds later the turbolift opened revealing a spacious bridge…for a Miranda-class. Captain Taggart sat in the center chair. Maxwell led the cadets onto the bridge then they stood in a line at attention. "Captain Taggart, Cadets Maxwell, Flores, T'Vrell, Morek, Zarva and Porter reporting as ordered."

Taggart stood and looked the cadets over. "Stations?" he asked

"Cadet Maxwell, First Officer."

"Cadet Flores, Acting Tactical Officer."

"Cadet T'Vrell, Acting Science and Communications officer."

"Cadet Zarva, Acting Chief Engineer.

"Cadet Morek, Acting Medical Officer"

"Cadet Ann Porter, Acting Helmsman."

"Very good. At ease. Take your stations cadets. Welcome to the bridge…number one." He said with smile to Maxwell.

"Number one?" asked Maxwell.

"Early in my career I served with a man who called his first officer that and I always liked it. As my first officer I expect you to see my orders are carried out and to advise me on the best course of action. But first we need to get out of drydock. Get clearance from control, close the shuttlebay doors and disable tractor moorings." Said Taggart.

"Yes sir. T'Vrell request departure clearance. Flores, close shuttlebay doors, Zarva, clear all moorings." Maxwell fired off the orders in rapid succession. A moment later they reported back in order.

"Sir, Earth Traffic Control has cleared us for departure."

"Shuttlebay doors closed."

"All moorings cleared"

Maxwell turned to the Captain and nodded. "Potter, take us out, one-quarter impulse."

T'Vrell nearly spoke up but Maxwell beat her to the punch. "Sir, regulations specify thrusters only while in Spacedock." He said

Taggart smiled, "Just making sure you're paying attention number one. Potter, thrusters ahead full."

"Aye sir." She replied.

Taggart motioned for Maxwell to sit. Maxwell took the chair to the Captain's right side. He felt the thrusters engage and the ship started to move. A moment later Flores reported. "Cleared from drydock Captain."

"Good. Let's start with something easy, set course for Vulcan." Said Taggart.

"Course plotted and laid in."

"Engage."

The ship jumped to warp on course to Vulcan. The ship was only a few minutes into the journey when T'Vrell spoke up. "Captain we're receiving a distress call from the S.S. Break Even. Audio only."

"Put it through." Replied Taggart.

" _This is the S.S. Break Even, our warp core is failing and we are in need of assistance._ "

"Let them know help is on the way. Potter, change course to intercept, maximum warp."

"Aye sir, ETA three minutes." Replied Potter.

Another Cadet manning the sensor station reported "Sir, I'm not reading anything in the vicinity of the _Break Even_."

"We've lost communications with the freighter. Some kind of interference." Reported T'Vrell.

"Keep trying. Number one, what's your opinion?"

"A warp core emergency shouldn't affect communications sir. It could be a trap. I advise going to yellow alert."

"Agreed. Make it so. Get down to the transporter room and oversee the rescue effort." Taggart replied.

"Yes sir." Replied Maxwell.

At yellow alert the shields came up but weapons remained powered down. The ship approached the area with caution. Maxwell tapped his combadge while in the turbolift. "R'raak, the _Break Even_ should be in range. Status report." He said

" _I'm getting some weird readings. I can't get a solid lock, there may be interference. Trying to compensate. I think I have it. This is a lot different than the training scenarios."_ He said

A moment later, Maxwell heard disruptor fire over the comm. channel and a gruff Klingon voice announce " _This vessel is now the property of Captain Kadek and the I.K.S. Chot!_ "

Then R'raak's voice came over the intercom, " _Intruder alert in the transporter room gahh!_ "

The turbolift stopped and Taggart voice responded. " _All hands prepare to repel boarders. Number one, you have the codes for an armory nearby. Get to it and arm any officers you can find. Klingons are beaming in all over the ship._ "

"What about the enemy ship sir?" asked Maxwell.

" _We still have weapons; I'll take care of it. Just get those Klingons off my ship!_ "

"Yes sir!"

Maxwell ran forward and found two officers near the door to the armory. "Cover me while I unlock it." He ordered then quickly punched in the code and the door swished open. The officers followed Maxwell and grabbed rifles. Maxwell grabbed a full auto rifle, it fired a three-round standard burst with a secondary full auto sweep, a good close quarters weapon. The others had split beam rifles. "Let's go." He said

Maxwell led the security team down the hall and encountered two Klingons. He quickly aimed his rifle and fired at one while the officers on either side of him hit the other. Both enemies went down before they could shoot back. Maxwell and his team moved further up the hall and encountered another Klingon but before they could shoot him, disruptor fire from the Klingon ship ruptured the hull and he was sucked out into space. Maxwell and the two officers held on to a nearby bulkhead until the emergency forcefields activated and sealed the breach. The transporter room was to the right. Maxwell and the officers entered quickly and found three Klingons facing the other direction. Maxwell and two officers fired twice, eliminating the warriors in one fell-swoop.

Maxwell crouched near R'raak behind the console. He scanned the cadet, minor disruptor wounds nothing fatal. He helped the cadet up and gave him a phaser pistol. Turning to a third security officer, a male Benzite "Stay here with R'raak, don't let any more Klingons onboard." He ordered

"Yes sir." The Benzite replied

Maxwell headed out the door with the first two officers close behind him. They found another officer firing on two more Klingons further down the corridor. Maxwell saw the EPS conduit they were standing next to and fired at it. The conduit exploded killing the Klingons but blocking the way with flowing green plasma. The third officer ran to a nearby console and quickly shut off the conduit. Green plasma stopped flowing out of the ruptured conduit. "Nice shot sir." She said

Maxwell tapped his combadge. "Captain Taggart, we've repelled the Klingons from the transporter room."

" _Very good. We're doing our best to cripple the marauder but I need your help._ "

"I can improve the ship's weapons." He replied

Maxwell turned to the security officers. "Stay here and keep the corridor clear of Klingons." He then entered the turbolift and took it to the armory.

When the lift stopped he stepped out and immediately opened fire on a pair of Klingons directly ahead. With help from four more officers the Klingons were quickly eliminated. The officers followed Maxwell down the corridor but before they turned a corner Maxwell motioned for them to stop. Carefully, he peaked around the corner then pulled back. "There are six Klingons blocking the way. I'll suppress them you take them out." He ordered.

The officers nodded then took position. Maxwell stepped out from behind the corridor and activated the full auto sweep function of his rifle. For three seconds the corridor filled with pulse phaser fire. The Klingons ducked but two went down for good, the other security officers fired on the remaining enemies downing them as well.

Moving forward, Maxwell found the door to the armory locked, he could also hear weapons fire inside. "We'll have to breach and clear the armory. I'll take point." He said

The officers split up, two on each side of the door while Maxwell stood in front. He used his phaser pistol to blow the door in then rushed inside, the officers quickly following suit. He aimed to the left and found a target firing twice, six phaser pulses raced out and knocked a burly Klingon to the ground. The other officers inside the armory were also fighting an additional six Klingons. Five minutes of intense fighting and the armory was back in Starfleet hands. Maxwell quickly boosted power to the fore and aft Phasers and the torpedo launcher. Captain Taggart soon came over the intercom. " _Number one, we've got wounded on the bridge and the Klingons could send a boarding party at any time. I need you back up here._ "

"On my way Captain." Turning to the security officers he ordered them to remain in the armory in case more Klingons beamed aboard, then he went to a nearby turbolift. He was just stepping onto the bridge when he saw the Captain and another Klingon beam out. Before he could yell out a disruptor blast flashed past him. He quickly turned and fired taking down two Klingons near the back of the bridge, then he turned around and put his rifle butt into the chest of a charging Klingon. The warrior crumpled to the ground, the wind knocked out of him. Maxwell quickly shoot the Klingon and put him down for good. Turning slowly, he found no more targets. He saw Razkii lying on the ground near his console. Maxwell grabbed an emergency medical kit, scanned Razkii with his tricorder and gave him a hypospray.

Razkii stood and nodded in thanks. He looked around but there appeared to be no other casualties. "James!" he heard Elisa call him from the back of the bridge. He ran to her and found her crouched by T'Vrell's side. "She's hurt bad James. I don't know if she'll make it." She said

Maxwell pulled out his tricorder again and scanned the downed Vulcan. Although he was not a doctor as a Starfleet officer he received basic first aid training along with additional combat medical training since becoming a tactical officer. The tricorder recommended a hypospray to relieve the pain. It would stabilize her until a medical team arrived. "She should be fine." He tapped his combadge "Medical assistance to the bridge." He called.

" _On our way sir._ " Replied a medic.

"Incoming message from the Klingons." Reported Elisa

Maxwell made his way to the center of the bridge and stood in front of the Captain's chair. "On screen." He replied

" _This is Captain Kadek of the I.K.S. Chot. You may have forced my boarding parties off your decks, but our ship remains cloaked. You have no hope of finding us…or defeating us. Your choice is simple. Surrender or we will kill your captain and then destroy your ship!"_ The one-eyed Klingon demanded.

"I will not surrender this ship." Maxwell replied

" _Perhaps your Captain will change your mind."_

"Captain?"

On the viewscreen Kadek turned to Taggart and said "Order _your crew to surrender Captain, or I will blow them out of the sky. It's your choice Captain, do you want these…children to die?"_

" _Very well. Number one…you are now the Captain of the ship. Your orders…"_ Taggart glared at the Klingon then continued " _Your order are to lock on to my combadge and fire!_ "

" _peHegh tohzah!"_ yelled Kadek then he quickly drew a dagger and stabbed Taggart.

The Federation officer fell to the floor mortally wounded. " _Make….me…proud."_ were Captain Taggart's last words.

Maxwell heard Elisa gasp behind him. "We have a target lock." She reported

Maxwell stroked his chin, deep in thought then made his decision. "Fire."

A single torpedo streaked out and closed on the cloaked ship. Guided by Taggart's still active combadge the torpedo struck the bridge disabling weapons and shields. "Flores, target life support, cloak and engines. I want them completely disabled." Maxwell ordered.

A series of torpedoes and phaser bursts struck the Klingon battleship. It was an impressive display of firepower…for a Miranda-class ship. In moments the Klingon ship was completely disabled and leaking atmosphere. "Nice shooting Elisa. Now send out a distress signal. We can't take on that many prisoners. What about the Break Even?"

"Signal away sir. Starfleet is responding. A ship is on the way. There's no sign of the ship. Only debris from where the signal originated from."

"The distress call was fake then. How bad are we hurt?"

"I'm getting multiple casualties reports and sickbay is full. All systems have some damage; life support is stable though. There's a ship dropping out of warp. It's one of ours. The U.S.S. _Renown_." She replied

"On screen." Maxwell replied

" _This is Captain Vo'Lok of the U.S.S. Renown. Do you require assistance?"_ the Captain of the other vessel asked.

"Yes sir. We were ambushed by Klingon marauders but their ship is completely disabled. You should be able to board-"

"Sir, the Klingon ship's warp core is going critical!" Flores yelled.

"Helm, full reverse!"

The ship backed away quickly, in seconds though the Klingon ship had exploded.

"What happened?" asked Maxwell

"Looks like it was a self-destruct sequence sir. Why would they do that?" Flores asked.

"Death before dishonor Ensign. Klingons would rather die than be captured." Maxwell replied

" _Your knowledge of Klingon culture is impressive Ensign. Where is Captain Taggart?_ " Vo'Lok asked.

"Thank you, sir. Captain Taggart was captured by the Klingons and later killed."

" _That is unfortunate. It also means you are acting Captain. I am granting you a field promotion to the rank of Lieutenant. This will give your proper authority over your crew until we reach Earth. The Renown will escort you back to Earth Spacedock, but first we must inform the U.S.S. Khitomer that… One moment. My communications officer informs me that we are unable to contact the Khitomer. We will proceed to their coordinates to determine if they require assistance and your ship will accompany us. Do you need repair teams or medical assistance?_ " asked Vo'Lok.

"Yes sir. We have damage across the ship and our sickbay is over capacity."

" _Very well, we will beam engineering and medical teams to your ship shortly. Vo'Lok out._ "

"Flores, prepare to receive engineering and medical teams. Once they're aboard follow the Renown to the Khitomer's last known location."

"Aye Captain." She said

Maxwell flinched at the name. Captain, he was already Captain after graduating from the Academy not twenty-four hours ago. He turned and looked at the Captain's chair. Such an ordinary thing holding so much power…

He took a deep breath and sat in the chair.


	2. Communications Breakdown

Chapter 2 Communications Breakdown

 _Three hours later_

The _Renown_ and _Ranger_ dropped out of warp near the _Khitomer_ 's last known location. Both ship's scanned the area and found the Khitomer dead in space. The Ranger got close and hailed the Khitomer again. Only static remained on the screen.

On the bridge of the Ranger, Maxwell stood and went to T'Vrell's station. "T'Vrell can you clear up the signal?" he asked

"Yes sir. One moment." She replied

On the screen Captain Jay Yim finally appeared though the visual was still poor. " _Ah, Captain Vo'Lok…Captain Taggart? What are you both doing here?_ "

"This is Captain Maxwell of the Ranger; Captain Taggart was killed by Klingon raiders. We were ordered to accompany the Renown to your location. We were unable to contact you earlier. Captain Vo'Lok felt it necessary to investigate." Said Maxwell.

" _Captain Yim, what is your status?_ " asked Vo'Lok

" _I am troubled by the anomalies in this system and if they are interfering with long-rang communications then they are doubly a cause for concern. I suggest we do this by the numbers. We've already launched nine probes. Now that they're active, we can do an in-depth scan of the anomalies. With all three ships collecting data, we should be able to complete this quickly and decide our next course of action. The Renown has the largest science team, so I recommend we send our data there for analysis. Any questions?_ " Yim said looking at Maxwell.

"No sir." Maxwell replied

" _Then let's go."_ Yim replied

With that the channel closed and Maxwell sat in his chair. "Helm, take us to the first anomaly. Full impulse. When we're close enough start scanning." He ordered.

"Aye sir. Course set."

"Reports indicate traces of gamma radiation. But there's something…off in the readings." Reported Flores.

"Very well, set course for point bravo." Ordered Maxwell.

The ship changed course to the second anomaly. Once they arrived they scanned it and the Khitomer hailed them.

 _"Khitomer here, are you seeing the same gamma radiation levels we are? I'm not sure that a normal scan will be enough. We might need to do a full multiphasic reading._ " He said

"How can we improve our sensor results?" asked Maxwell.

" _My chief science officer, Commander Davis, suggests that performing a reverse tachyon pulsewave scan will solve our sensor issues. Perform your final scans, then report back._ " Yim said

"Understood. T'Vrell?" Maxwell asked

"Scanning…" she replied

"I'm getting a reading…it's a Borg transwarp signature!" reported Flores.

On the view screen a single Borg probe dropped out of transwarp and began firing on the Ranger.

"Red alert! Shields up! Ready Phasers, load torpedo bays. Flores fire when ready." Maxwell ordered.

Phasers and torpedoes flashed out and quickly destroyed the Probe but the fight wasn't over, the Khitomer was also under attack. The Ranger went to full impulse for the Khitomer's position and found the Renown fighting a pair of probes. The Ranger targeted the probe farthest from both vessels and opened fire. A few phaser shots brought down the port shields.

"Flores, High yield torpedoes, level one salvo. Fire." Maxwell ordered.

A pair of torpedoes flashed out and impacted the probe causing it to explode. The Renown destroyed it's probe a second later.

"T'Vrell, hail the Khitomer."

 _"This is the Emergency Medical Hologram aboard the U.S.S. Khitomer. I am requesting assistance from any Federation vessel in range. I've lost contact with the bridge. I am unable to contact Commander Davis for new instructions."_

"EMH? Give me a situation report." Replied Maxwell.

" _The Khitomer is being overwhelmed by Borg boarding parties. These Borg are different than the ones in my history records. They seem…disconnected somehow. They're strange but still quite dangerous."_

"Can you hold out on your own? We have problems of our own to deal with." Maxwell asked

" _I'm an Emergency Medical Hologram, not a miracle worker!"_ it replied

"Captain Vo'Lok? What should we do?" asked Maxwell.

" _The Borg were brutally efficient on the Khitomer. The Emergency Medical Hologram may be in command simply because no one else is fit to do so. The Borg have not been seen in the Alpha Quadrant in decades. They're arrival cannot simply be a coincidence. However, I hesitate to speculate without the full data from all of the probes. I will send teams to aid the Khitomer. You will have to finish the scans. We need to know the extent of the Borg presence here. You must also inform me if you or your crew are unable to continue. The Borg evoke a strong emotional response that can rattle even trained Starfleet officers. A crew of cadets that have already survived a Klingon attack may be unable to cope."_ Said Vo'Lok

"I trust my crew sir. We'll get the job done. Helm, set course for the last anomaly." Maxwell replied

A few minutes and the Ranger reached the last anomaly. A quick scan and transmission to the Renown was all that was required of the crew.

" _We have your data, but it will take some time for even the Renown's computer to analyze all of this."_ Vo'Lok said

"What is the status of the Khitomer?" asked Maxwell

" _Our tactical teams have eliminated the Borg boarding parties on the Khitomer. Why do you ask?"_

"Would it be possible to use the Khitomer and the Ranger to speed up analysis time?" Maxwell asked.

" _That is an interesting idea cadet. We will link our three computers and see what we come up- Transwarp signatures incoming!"_ Vo'Lok alerted.

Three more probes emerged from transwarp and fired on the Khitomer again. The shields barely held. The Renown and Ranger engaged again and quickly defeated the small ships. Then three more probes appeared. The Ranger maneuvered to fire with fore and aft phasers on one probe, a tactic called 'broadsiding', while firing torpedoes at another. The Renown targeted a third probe with a quantum torpedo salvo which destroyed the ship. The other two probes lasted not much longer after that.

Not much longer after that attack dozens of Borg ships began appearing in the system, including Spheres and cubes.

"It's an invasion force. I don't think we should-" Flores was cut off as surprisingly all but one sphere jumped out of the system.

"Where did they go?" asked Maxwell

The helmsmen, Ann Porter turned around "It looks like they're on course for the Vega system sir."

"There's a colony in that system isn't there?" asked Maxwell

Flores nodded. "Open a channel to the Renown."

 _"That was quite unexpected. Concentrate your fire on the remaining Sphere."_ Ordered Vo'Lok.

Together the Renown and Ranger took down the sphere with a few volleys of fire.

"Captain Vo'Lok my helmsman tells me the Borg went to Vega system. There is a civilian colony there we must evacuate them before the Borg can assimilate them." Said Maxwell

" _Very observant Lieutenant. Very well. Proceed to the Vega system and assess the situation and evacuate survivors if possible. The Renown will remain here to intercept any more Borg and repair the Khitomer. Good luck Lieutenant._ " Said Vo'Lok

Maxwell sat in the Captain's chair. "Helm, set course for the Vega System maximum warp."

"Course set sir." She replied

"Engage." Maxwell ordered.

As the Ranger warped out of the system another dozen Borg vessels appeared and the Renown moved to engage them despite being heavily outnumbered…

The Vega system was only two lightyears away from the Ranger's position. A hop, skip and a jump even in a Miranda-class ship. In the few minutes it took the Ranger to arrive, Maxwell had completed all necessary paperwork and filed a report with Starfleet Command. Just before they arrived in the Vega system Maxwell received a message from Admiral Quinn.

 _"I'm sorry to hear about Captain Taggart. He was a fine officer and a good man. The actions of you and your crew are very impressive and by the authority vested in me I am making your field commission of Lieutenant official. Congratulations. I wish it were under better circumstances."_

The Ranger dropped out of warp near the planet Vega and immediately began scanning the system. Oddly, they found no evidence of Borg.

"We arrived before the Borg. Now my heart can start beating again. What are your orders, Captain?" Elisa asked

Maxwell flinched at the title again. He was still getting used to being called 'Captain'.

"Hail the colonies, we have to warn them." He ordered.

T'Vrell turned from her station. "I have a comm. link with Willa Post, the colony administrator. The signal is poor but it is the best we are capable of at the moment."

"I'll take it. On screen."

 _"Greetings, Captain. Is there something I can do for you today?"_ she asked

"I'm Captain Maxwell of the starship Ranger. I must inform you of a Borg fleet heading for this system. You must begin evacuations immediately."

 _"Repeat please? Your signal is breaking up. Did you say the Borg? What about them?"_ Post asked again.

"The Borg are coming! you must evacuate." Maxwell repeated forcefully.

The visual signal, which was poor to begin with, dissolved into static. "T'Vrell, what happened?" asked Maxwell.

"I have lost contact with Vega colony sir. Something is blocking all subspace signals in this area. Even our hails to the civilian ships are not getting through. There is a communications satellite nearby. It should boost our signal sufficiently to inform the freighters of the danger and warm the colony." She replied

"Good, helm, get us there, full impulse." Ordered Maxwell.

The satellite was only twenty kilometers away, a few seconds of full impulse got the Ranger in range.

"Boosting signal…Our hails are still being blocked sir. The Borg may be attempting to isolate the planet before they land. Your orders, sir?" Reported T'Vrell.

"Engineering, can we get a transporter lock on the colonists?" asked Maxwell.

"The Borg are jamming up any remote signals. It's not safe to beam through that. I think I can boost the gain though."

"Hurry, the Borg will be-" Maxwell was interrupted by Flores as she reported "Transwarp conduits opening all over the system sir. The Borg are here. Civilian ships are right in their path sir; we have to help them."

"Agreed, helm plot an intercept course for the closest Borg vessel and engage full impulse." Tapping a button on his chair. "This is the Captain, all hands to battlestations." He ordered.

The enemy force consisted of escort probes and planetary assimilation probes, small rectangles and spheres. The Ranger rescued one civilian ship from a pair of ships then moved on to a larger group. Since the Borg only had small scout ships in the system the Ranger had a relatively easy time with them even though the Miranda was a design from the 23rd century and a contemporary of the famed Constitution-class ship.

The Ranger cleared a section of space and allowed half-a-dozen freighters to jump to warp. Then T'Vrell who had been working on communications spoke up. "I have short-range communications. Long-range signals are still blocked. I can contact the planet and inform Administrator Post of the situation. However, the Borg have already landed and are moving towards the colony. It may be prudent to retreat back to the Renown sir." She said

"Good work T'Vrell. But we're the only Starfleet vessel in the system. We have to rescue as many people as we can." Maxwell said

In the distance a group of freighters engaged five Borg ships. The Ranger immediately moved to assist. "Flores, tell those freighters to jump to warp. We'll cover them." Maxwell ordered.

"Aye sir. Message sent."

" _Roger that Starfleet. All ships engage warp engines."_ Ordered the lead freighter.

The Ranger started taking fire from all five ships. "Flores, fire phasers at will and give me a level one torpedo spread."

"Ready sir."

"Fire."

Multiple phasers flashed out to hit all five ships. A spread of torpedoes was launched, two for each enemy ship. Phasers drained the shields while torpedoes delivered the punch. In moments three Borg ships were destroyed. A minute later the other two followed suit.

"Secure from battlestations. Flores, T'Vrell, Zarva met me in transporter room one. We're going down to the surface. Ms. Porter, you have the bridge. If you are engaged by anything bigger than a scout you are to go to warp. Rendezvous with the fleet and bring back reinforcements." Said Maxwell.

"Sir-" Porter began to object but Maxwell cut her off. "That's an order Ensign."

Flores, T'Vrell and Zarva along with another security officer met Maxwell in the transporter room. They were all equipped with phaser rifles both full auto and split beam type. "Set phasers for rotating frequency…energize." Ordered Maxwell.

The away team was showered in blue sparkles then disappeared.

Maxwell, Flores, T'Vrell, Zarva and a security officer appeared on the planet. Flores swung about to secure the immediate area then pulled out her tricorder. A moment of scanning and she had a report. "Sir, according to my readings almost half the planet has already been assimilated. At the rate the Borg are progressing this particular area will be overrun in about an hour. If that wasn't bad enough the interference is affecting the transporters."

"Understood. We'll have to manually tag any survivors. Move out. Ensign, take the point." Ordered Maxwell, nodding to the security officer.

The team moved up a path near a cliff. A break in the mountains allowed them to spot a Borg ship that had landed. "That must be one of the ships from orbit. Are we too late?" asked Flores. "The ship is pumping nanoprobes directly into the ground and atmosphere." Reported T'Vrell.

"Is there anything we can do to slow them down?" asked Maxwell.

T'Vrell simply shook her head. "There is nothing we can do except evacuate the colonists' sir."

Suddenly a trio of civilians came around the corner. "Starfleet! Thank goodness!" one of them said.

"I'm Captain Maxwell. Are there any others in your group?" he asked

The civilians shook their heads.

"Maxwell to Ranger, I've found three civilians, sending coordinates."

" _Acknowledged._ "

The three civilians were beamed up and the team moved up the path. They came to the entrance to the colony where another group of civilians were arguing over the gate. One of the colonists approached, surprisingly she was Cardassian.

"Thank you for coming. We didn't know if anyone got our distress signal. We have no weapons but there are spare armor suits for your officers in the crates." She offered him a PADD. "This code will open the gate, there are still many others inside along with Administrator Post. Please help them."

"We'll do our best." Maxwell said then tapping his combadge "Ranger, I've found another group. Sending transport coordinates."

" _Energizing_." Replied the ship

The security officer opened the crate containing the armor and passed them out. The away team put on the armor and Maxwell used the code to open the door. Immediately they saw a civilian getting assimilated. "Oh no! We're too late!" lamented Flores

"Take'em down!" yelled Maxwell.

All four officers aimed and fired at the two drones which went down quickly but the civilian was already assimilated. There was nothing they could do for her. Maxwell put a phaser bolt into her.

Another group of Borg had a trio of civilians surrounded. The Starfleet rescuers quickly opened fire and took them down. Maxwell tagged the civilians and they were beamed out. Turing a corner revealed larger groups of Borg and civilians. Maxwell and his team quickly moved up and opened fire. A few minutes later the courtyard was clear and the civilians were transported to the _Ranger_.

"Anyone else think this was too easy?" asked Flores

"The Borg failed to adapt to our rifles." Remarked T'Vrell.

"Don't jinx it." Replied Maxwell.

With all the civilians evacuated the team moved down a small street to see a half-dozen Borg trying to enter a large building. Standing in front of the door was a single Starfleet officer with a rifle. Together they were able to put the Borg down. The officer standing in front of the door pressed a button, unlocking the door. "Ms. Post, the area is clear now." He said

Administrator Post came out the door and nodded in thanks to the away team.

"Ms. Post, I am Captain Maxwell of the Federation Starship Ranger."

"Thank you for coming to the rescue Captain. What's the situation? Are there any more reinforcements?" she asked

"At present, the Ranger is the only ship in orbit."

"I see…then it's true. Vega is doomed. A single starship cannot hope to stop this. Still…there is more to do. Many civilians are hiding in their homes. We cannot abandon them to the Borg."

"We can rescue them. But the Borg appear to be blocking our transporters."

"I know. Kolez and I have been trying to get around the interference field. Thank you for tagging the people you found and getting them safely transported to your ship."

"That can't be everyone."

"No, there are dozens more hiding in the buildings. But Kolez and I have a plan. We think a pattern enhancer will do the trick. With that, we can transport the remaining citizens to your ship. But first I'd like to offer you some equipment. Vega is…was a trade colony, and this gear was intended to go to Starbase 85. I think you need it more." Replied Post

"Thank you. Ensign?"

The security officer pulled out a photon grenade kit and handed it to Maxwell. T'Vrell began setting up the pattern enhancers in front of a nearby building. Maxwell calibrated the enhancers before returning to Administrator Post.

"Ma'am, the pattern enhancers are up and running I need you to signal any citizens left to come here."

"I will. How long do you think you can hold off the Borg?" she asked

"As long as we have to."

"Here comes the first group sir." Said Flores

"Borg coming around the corner!" yelled Kolez

"Form up. Let's give the civvies some cover fire. Ensign direct the civilians to the pattern enhancers." Ordered Maxwell

"Aye sir. Come on let's go, the pattern enhancer over there go! go! go!" he yelled.

A dozen Borg came around a corner and Maxwell tossed a photon grenade and opened fire with his rifle. "Remember when we though fighting a crazed Klingon was the worst thing that could happen today?" asked Flores as she continued to fire.

More civilians came running from the Borg. The ensign security officer ran along with them while the rest of the away team tossed grenades and kept the rest of the Borg at bay.

Eventually all the civilians were transported to the ship. The away team along with Kolez and Administrator Post stood in the center of the pattern enhancers. "Away team to Ranger, seven to beam up." Said Maxwell

" _Acknowledged._ "

Seven columns of light appeared on the surface of Vega. But only five appeared on the transporter pad. Maxwell, Flores and Kolez remained on the surface. "Ranger, I said seven to beam up." Said Maxwell.

" _Sorry sir, there's some kind of interference, it began as we were transporting, I had to send your patterns back to the surface. Our scans indicate some kind of device not far from your position. If you destroy it the interference should clear. Are there any civilians left?"_ Replied Zarva

"Understood. No, looks like we got everyone we could. Flores open that gate." Replied Maxwell.

"Aye sir." She replied.

Although the gate controls were starting to turn into a Borg interface she was still able to open the gate. Five newly assimilated Borg stood outside the gate. "Open fire." Said Maxwell, punctuating his order by shooting the closest drone. Flores and Kolez downed two and the trio concentrated on a tactical drone bringing down it's shields and putting it down for good. Enough of the drones faces had remained for Kolez to recognize one. "I know her…we played poker last week…" he said, shocked.

"You're going to see friends assimilated. The only thing we can do for them now is to take them down with the rest of the Borg. Don't hesitate to fire." Said Flores.

The trio of officers moved down a path and found another smaller group of Borg ahead. Kolez, heartened by Flores' comments immediately put a phaser bolt into a newer-looking drone, while Maxwell and Flores put down similar drones. The saw the device in a narrow canyon and took the shortest path. They took down two drones before Maxwell deactivated a shield covering an elite tactical drone. This drone was armed with a plasma weapon and heavy shields. It took everything the three tactical officers had to take it down. Once the drone went down, Maxwell was able to deactivate the transport inhibiter and the Ranger quickly beamed them up.

Zarva was in command on the bridge. She immediately relinquished the chair to Maxwell and reported the ship's condition. "Sir, we're packed to the brim with civilians. I don't think we could fit one more soul onboard. Communications are still jammed so we can't reach the Renown or Khitomer. But I had an idea. There are three communications satellites in orbit, we could reconfigure the beacons to warn ships to stay away from Vega."

"Very well. Helm, take us to the first satellite."

The ship reached the satellite, about fourteen kilometers away without incident. They quickly reconfigured the beacon but as soon as they did three Borg probes appeared. "I don't think the Borg like us hanging around. Multiple probes incoming!" reported Flores

Maxwell remained calm. "Continuous fire all weapons."

"Aye sir." Replied Flores

Phaser and torpedoes flashed out, quickly destroying two probes and lowering the shields of the last one. A pair of high yield torpedoes finished it off. The Ranger didn't get off easy though, losing forward shields and some damage to the hull. While power was rerouted to shields and the crew patched what they could the ship headed for the second beacon about 20 km away. "Never thought I'd wish I was back at the academy studying for the astrometrics final." Remarked Flores.

They reached the second beacon and reconfigured it but a sphere appeared just as they finished. Multiple phaser shots brought shields on one side of the sphere down. The sphere began to rotate to bring fresh shields to bare but before they could a pair of high yield torpedoes buried themselves in the sphere causing severe damage.

Suddenly on the Borg sphere an alarm sounded. _**Alert, Federation Photon Torpedo, disarm weapon.**_ A drone turned to inject it with nanoprobes but before it got far the torpedo exploded. Internal explosions tore the sphere apart.

"Scan the area for any more Borg. Prepare to take us out of the system." Ordered Maxwell.

"Sir, I have several fast-moving ships on sensors. I can't contact them or tell if their friend or foe."

"Shields to maximum, standby all weapons. Take us to the last beacon." Ordered Maxwell.

"Aye sir."

The Ranger moved at full impulse but just as they reached the satellite a cube dropped out of transwarp and caught the ship in a tractor beam. "A cube?! Guess it's time to go out in a blaze of glory." Said Flores.

As the Ranger began firing every weapon it had four more Federation ships appeared. The Khitomer, Renown, Defiant and Armitage began firing on the cube. Captain Vo'Lok contacted Maxwell. " _Exceptional effort Lieutenant. Concentrate your fire on a single point."_

"Yes sir."

The Ranger maneuvered to fire all weapons at the cube. With the combined fire of four other ships the Cube was destroyed. Vo'Lok contacted Maxwell once again. " _We held off what we could in Pollux and sent a signal to Starfleet. These were the closest ships. Others will be arriving as soon as they can._ "

"Glad to see you. There's no way we could have taken on a Cube." Replied Maxwell

" _You have handled things well thus far. Excellent thinking on reconfiguring the satellites to send out a warning. We received the signal as soon as we arrived in system."_ Vo'Lok continued.

"Are we going to try to retake Vega?" asked Maxwell.

" _I will be discussing that option with the other Captain here. Your priority should be the civilians you have on board. As well as they safety of your crew. The Khitomer will return to Earth Spacedock with you. Once there, report to Admiral Quinn. He will have more information for you."_

"Yes sir."

" _Good luck Lieutenant. Renown out."_

"Alright Potter take us back to Earth Spacedock…Maximum warp if you please."

"Yes sir." She replied.

The Ranger and Khitomer formed up and jumped to warp. Since the Ranger's maximum warp speed was factor five the Khitomer had to slow down in order to stay with the Ranger. A few hours later they arrived. Maxwell let his crew handle docking procedures while he beamed aboard to talk to Admiral Quinn. He appeared on the transporter pad and got a look at the recent remodeling. He asked the transporter operator where Quinn's office was and the ensign pointed him to the left. He saw two Starfleet security officers and guessed Quinn's office was behind the waterfall. He went around the corner and indeed found the Admiral's office. He approached Quinn's desk and stood ramrod straight. Then Quinn said "We have a lot to discuss Cadet Maxwell."

"It's Lieutenant sir."

"Yes I see that in the report Captain Vo'Lok sent me. He granted you a field promotion to give you proper authority over your crew. As a Cadet you were assigned an Academy training cruise under Captain Taggart. Acting First Officer?"

"That's correct sir."

"I've read the reports. Facing off against Klingon raiders and a Borg invasion force within hours of graduating Starfleet Academy…is very unusual. In your own words describe what happened out there."

"We sir, the cruise began without incident. Captain Taggart had us on course for Vulcan. But we detected a distress call from an S.S. Break Even. They claimed warp engine malfunction but communications were spotty at best. I recommended to Taggart that we go to yellow alert. As it turns out it was a trap. When we closed on the Break Even to beam survivors aboard, Klingons appeared. I was on my way to the transporter room and had to open a nearby armory to get weapons. Some of the crew and I were able to clear the transporter room and armory. I used my academy training to increase phaser and torpedo yields then returned to the bridge. I saw Taggart taken by the Klingons just as I exited the turbolift. After I cleared the bridge, the Klingon Captain contacted us and demanded our surrender. I refused, then Kadek threated Taggart. Captain Taggart's last orders were to lock onto his combadge and fire. Kadek killed Taggart and I opened fire with everything we had. We were able to completely disable the ship but I knew we couldn't take prisoners and since the Break Even had left the area I sent out a distress signal. Captain Vo'Lok arrived as the Klingon ship self-destructed. Vo'Lok offered to escort us back to Spacedock but they couldn't contact the Khitomer who they were scheduled to rendezvous with. We both went to investigate and found the Khitomer investigating some anomalies in the Pollux system. We determined that the Borg were using it as a staging ground when a fleet of Borg ships appeared. Then all but one of them jumped to warp headed for Vega. The Ranger and Renown defeated the sphere left behind and the Ranger went to Vega. After clearing an area of space I beamed down with an away team to try and evacuate civilians. I got to Administrator Post and was able to rescue a number of civilians. When my team tried to beam back the Borg began blocking transporters and Elisa, Kolez and myself were sent back to the planet. We found a Borg transport inhibitor and deactivated it allowing us to return to the ship. We were packed to the brim with civilians but my chief engineer came up with the idea of using the satellites as warning beacons. After destroying three probes and a sphere, a cube showed up. But at the same time Captain Vo'Lok, the Khitomer and two other Federation ships arrived and helped us destroy the Cube. Then we returned here.

"That's…quite a story."

"Yes sir. It's all true."

"Don't worry I have statement from Captains Vo'Lok and Yim as well as Administrator Post collaborating your statement. All three of them cite your bravery and command skills as well as you and your crew's willingness to put themselves in harm's way to protect others."

"I am a Starfleet officer sir. It's in the job description."

"And you're exactly the kind of officer Starfleet needs right now. I know your ship might not be the Enterprise but you've proven yourself capable of sitting in the Captain's chair."

"Sir?"

"Under normal circumstances it would take you years of work to get your own command. But these are not normal circumstances. We are at war with the Klingons, the Borg have returned and I'm losing more trained officers and ships than I can spare. Ships we can build. But leaders with honor and courage…these are harder to find. It's time to try something different. I need someone who can handle themselves in a crisis and get the best from their crew. Even though you're young, I think you're the best person for the job. I hereby promote you to the rank of Lieutenant and offer you command of the Ranger. However, in recognition of your exemplary conduct I'm also prepared to offer you command of an NX-class light escort, the Essex. She's yours if you want her." Said Quinn.

Maxwell was shocked, to be offered command at the rank of Lieutenant was one thing, to be offered two commands was extraordinary. "Sir, aren't all the NX ships in museums? They would hardly stand up to any modern-day ship."

"As originally built you're correct. But the Essex is a replica, a 22nd century design with 25th century technology and firepower. As an escort she's a better fit for tactical officers than the generic Miranda-class. If you were a science or engineering officer I'd be offering an Oberth-class or original Constitution-class. Both of which are also replicas, original looks but modern-day tech underneath. With our advanced shipbuilding technology, we can fill the fleet with these lesser ships much faster while giving our more advanced ships to the appropriate ranks." Quinn explained

"I see sir." Maxwell thought a moment. Commanding the Ranger would be an honor but it would also be a constant reminder of his first mission. "I'll take the Essex sir." He said

"Very well. The crew compliment is only eighty-five so you can pick the best from the crew of the Ranger. I'll re-crew the ship with more graduating cadets and promote the next senior officer after your picks."

"Aye sir and thank you."

Maxwell executed a perfect about face and walked out of the Admiral's office.


	3. Stranded

Chapter 3 Stranded

 _ **Two Weeks later**_

 _Acting Captain's personal log: Our initial shakedown cruise is complete. I am more than satisfied with the ship's and crew's performance. We're are now end route to Earth Spacedock from Risa for routine maintenance."_

Maxwell was in his ready room attending to the bane of all officer…paperwork. "Bridge to Captain Maxwell" Elisa's voice came over the intercom.

"Go ahead."

"We're approaching the Sol system."

"Very well. Drop to impulse, I'll be there in a moment." He replied

An hour later the ship was in the middle of docking procedures when Admiral Quinn contacted him. " _Lieutenant, report to my office on the double. Something's come up._ "

"Aye sir. Elisa you have the bridge. Continue docking, I'll find out what the Admiral wants."

Maxwell went to the transporter room and stood on the pad. "Destination sir?" the operator asked.

"Spacedock, Admiral Quinn's office."

"Coordinates input sir."

"Energize."

Maxwell appeared just outside Quinn's office. He quickly approached the office and stood before the Admiral's desk. "Lieutenant Maxwell reporting as ordered sir."

"Have a seat Lieutenant. I have a mission for you. I've received a report that there is a Bolian freighter that is overdue arriving at Earth Spacedock. It may need assistance. Talk to Malcom Sissel in the shipyard. He will have more information on the missing vessel than I do. Any questions?"

"Any idea what kind of assistance they require?" Maxwell asked

"Could be anything from simple engine trouble to Orion pirates." Quinn replied.

"I'll get on it right away." Maxwell stood at attention then executed an about face and headed for the shipyard. On his way he tapped his combadge. "Maxwell to Flores."

" _Flores here._ "

"Get the ship ready to go. There's a vessel overdue to arrive at Earth Spacedock and we've been tasked to find the ship."

" _Aye sir. She can be ready to go in fifteen minutes._ "

"Very well."

Maxwell found Sissel at the shipyard and approached him.

"Greetings, Lieutenant. So you're here to talk about the missing freighter? We haven't had a communique from the S.S. Azura in more than twenty hours. Danna Brott is an experienced captain and the daughter of a former Starfleet officer. It not like her to be out of contact. It would be a real help if you could go and find the Azura. I've already transmitted the last known location to your ship. Good luck!" he said

Maxwell beamed back to the ship and fifteen minutes later the Essex departed Spacedock. Once they were clear of the system they jumped to warp, it wasn't long before they picked up a distress call from the S.S. Azura

" _This is Danna Brott of the S.S. Azura, warp core containment field is down…radiation flooding the ship…communications and life support failing, ejection systems offline, request immediate- "_

"We're approaching the coordinates." Reported the helm.

"Drop to impulse. Go to yellow alert."

" _To any ships in range…this is Danna Brott of the transport S.S. Azura. Please help, we're being pursued by Orion raiders…multiple crew injuries…heavy fire- "_

"The Azura is dropping out of warp." Reported T'Vrell.

The transport ship dropped out of warp between two large asteroids. A pair of Orion corvettes dropped out of warp and opened fire. Another pair of corvettes appeared closer to the Essex.

"Sir, sensors are picking up several light attack craft on an intercept course. We will need to deal with them before we can help the transport."

"Red Alert. Arm all weapons. Helm, begin attack. Flores, give them a face full of torpedoes" Ordered Maxwell

"Aye sir." She replied with a grin.

A level one torpedo spread flashed out with two torpedoes for each corvette. They didn't' do much damage to the shields but a follow-up volley of phaser fire from the fore and aft arrays quickly wore both ship's shields. Another spread of torpedoes finished them off.

"Nice shooting Flores. Target the other pair and fire at will."

The Essex jumped to full impulse for 3 seconds then routed all power to weapons. A volley of phasers and torpedoes was sufficient to destroy the last two corvettes.

"T'Vrell, scan the Azura."

"Captain, I'm detecting elevated radiation levels on the Azura. I've alerted the transporter chief of the situation. She can brief you before you beam over."

"Very well. Flores, you have the bridge, T'Vrell, Zarva, Kolez, you're with me." Ordered Maxwell.

As the team walked into the transporter room, the chief was working on the panel. "Captain, I'm concerned about the radiation on the Azura. She might have some damage to the warp core, but our sensors can't pick up enough to determine exactly what you'll find over there. I can get you there, sir but bringing you back won't be easy until the critical damage is repaired."

"Understood." Replied Maxwell

The team stepped onto the pad and activated their phaser rifles. "Energize."

Maxwell, T'Vrell, Zarva and Kolez appeared on the Azura and quickly turned about to look for hostiles. There were none so T'Vrell pulled out her tricorder and scanned the area. "Sir, I'm picking up multiple life signs. Some of them are the Azura's captain and crew, but the rest are Orion. Plasma leaks are blocking our path to the survivors. We will need to use the consoles to safely vent the plasma."

"Very well. Move out. Tactical formation Alpha." Ordered Maxwell.

Tactical formation Alpha was a simple column formation, useful for close quarters fighting. They proceeded down a hallway and turned left, through another door they saw the corridor turn left again but it was blocked by a plasma conduit. Further down a door opened and the team rushed in. "Clear." Said Maxwell. Then he heard a moan and spotted a wounded crewmember. "T'Vrell."

She knelt by the crewmen and scanned her with a medical tricorder. "Severe radiation poisoning sir. I can stabilize her for now but she will need to wait on the transporter pad until the plasma leaks are contained."

"Very well. Maxwell to Essex, we're sending wounded crewmembers to the transporter. Beam them up as soon as you can."

" _Aye sir. There's too much radiation right now though you'll need to fix the plasma leaks before I can safely transport."_

"Understood. Maxwell out."

T'Vrell administered a hypospray and helped the crewmen to her feet. "Thank you. Where should I go now?" she asked

"Wait on the transporter pad. Our ship is attempting to get a positive lock but there's too much radiation – "

"The plasma leaks, yes I know. You'll have to close the conduits to stop the venting. Good luck."

"Move out." Ordered Maxwell

The team resumed formation and proceeded back to the corridor. They were stopped by the plasma leak they saw earlier but Zarva quickly closed the venting plasma. Going around the corner they spotted three Orions, armed with simple disruptor pistols. The Orions immediately opened fire but their weapons fire only hit the personal shields of the team. The Starfleet crew returned fire and quickly put all three pirates down. "Maxwell to Essex, be advised the Azura has been boarded by Orion pirates."

" _Understood. Be careful Max._ " replied Flores, the concern readily evident in her voice. The two had grown close since being posted to the Essex.

As the Starfleet team proceeded down the hallway they could see two plasma leaks, one at the far end and one closer. There was a door right before the next leak so the team rushed in. Maxwell took down one on his left immediately and took fire from the right. He was turning to engage when he saw T'Vrell put a pair of Orions down with her split beam rifle. The room was clear so Maxwell pointed Zarva to the console that would shut down the plasma leak, while T'Vrell treated another crewmember. "Go to the transporter room. My ship will beam you aboard as soon as they can." She told the crewmen. "Yes Ma'am. Thank you."

"Let's go, we've got one more plasma leak to deal with." Ordered Maxwell.

The away team resumed formation and proceeded down the corridor to another room on the left. This one had four Orions in it but after a swift firefight the Orions went down. "Over here T'Vrell." Said Maxwell pointing to another casualty.

"Captain I'm having trouble closing this last leak. I could use your help on the other console." Said Zarva.

Maxwell went to a nearby console and worked with Zarva to stop the leak. "Conduit closed. The leak is sealed. Let's get to engineering." She said

Engineering was not much further down the corridor. They found Captain Brott and a few crewmembers frantically trying to control the warp core. Zarva rushed to a console and assessed the situation. "Catastrophic failure of antimatter containment. Warp core breach imminent. Unless we contain the breach the ship will be destroyed."

"Captain Brott?" asked Maxwell

"We hit an Orion ambush on our way to K-7 and immediately lost weapons and took a hit near engineering. We had to drop shields for extra power to containment but as soon as we dropped them the Orions boarded us. I'll never let those green pirates have my ship. Get my crew to safety, I'll try to keep the core stable long enough for you to get out."

"There's not much I can do here Captain." Said Zarva.

"Alright, we'd better go. Stay behind us. Team, formation Delta." Said Maxwell.

Formation Delta was an arrow shape with Maxwell at the apex, T'Vrell and Zarva to either side and Kolez to the left. The Azura crew was behind them for their own protection. They approached the corridor but before they got very far a half-dozen Orions appeared in the hallway. Maxwell saw a console to his right and a plan began forming in his head.

When he was at the Academy, he studied mission reports from the U.S.S. Archer. In one report the crew reconfigured the plasma conduits to disable a Klingon boarding party. The console controlled the plasma conduits so he worked it again. His gambit worked. The plasma flashed-fried three Orions. "Nicely done sir." Said Kolez.

"Move up." Said Maxwell.

The away team moved up the corridor and came within range of the last three Orions and opened fire. One of the Orions had a personal shield of his own so once the other two went down the team concentrated their fire on the last one. His shield didn't last long under the onslaught. "Alright double-time it to the transporter room." Ordered Maxwell.

The team maintained their formation but moved at a faster pace. It wasn't long before they reached the transporter room and found the other three survivors waiting there. "Maxwell to Essex, we're ready for transport. Anytime you're ready chief." He said

" _The Azura's radiation levels are returning to normal…signals clearing…got it! Initiating transport!"  
_

Five Azura crewmen and four Starfleet officers appeared on the transporter pad. A medical team met the Azura's crew and began treating them further. "Maxwell to bridge. Report."

"Good to have you back sir. More Orions on the way. We need you up here sir."

"On my way." Maxwell stepped into a turbolift. "Bridge."

A moment later Maxwell stepped onto the bridge. "Report."

"Another pair of corvettes and something bigger coming out of warp." Reported Flores as she returned to her tactical chair.

"Red alert." He ordered.

"We're being hailed by the Orions sir."

"On screen."

" _Leave now Starfleet, we're taking the ship, her crew and her cargo."_

"The Azura is under Starfleet protection."

The channel closed and a pair of corvettes dropped out of warp and opened fire. The Essex returned fire to port and dropped its shields with a few phaser shots. A pair of high yield torpedoes finished off the first corvette. Wheeling around in a tight turn, the Essex caught the second corvette lining up for a torpedo shot on the Azura. The Essex maneuvered to present both the forward and aft phaser arrays and opened up a full broadside. The corvette's shields dropped under the weight and was quickly destroyed.

"Sir, another ship dropping out of warp…it's a _Slavemaster_ -class battleship.

"Reset aft phaser banks for point defense. We'll have fighters to deal with. Ensign, line us up for an Alpha Strike. T'Vrell I need a level one tachyon beam. I want us to drain their shields and then hit them with everything we've got." Ordered Maxwell.

The Essex came about and put distance between them and the battleship. Interceptors were harassing the ship the whole way until they entered the aft arc. The aft phaser banks, set for point defense, fired in rapid bursts to clear the fighters. Once there was about six hundred kilometers between the Essex and the battleship, the Essex came about again and projected a tachyon beam at the Orion battleship. The tachyon beam drained the shields rapidly, leaving it exposed. The killer blow came when an overloaded phaser bank fired at the same time a pair of high yield torpedoes left the tubes. The phaser shot destroyed the bridge and left a gaping hole for the torpedoes which entered said whole and exploded inside. The damage was done, the Orion's warp core lost containment and exploded.

"Transporter room, can you get a lock on Captain Brott?" asked Maxwell.

" _Trying to now sir. Boosting containment_ …"

On the viewscreen the Azura exploded.

"Transporter room?"

" _We have her sir._ "

"Take us back to Earth Spacedock Ensign. Flores you have the bridge. I have a report to write to Starfleet Command." Said Maxwell

Maxwell was headed towards the turbolift when Captain Brott stepped off. "Captain Maxwell I was just coming to see you. I wanted to thank you again for saving my crew." She said

"Not a problem Captain, it's what we do. We'll drop you off at Earth Spacedock if you like." Replied Maxwell

"That'll be fine Captain. I can catch a transport back to Bolarus from there. I have some latinum put back I can buy another freighter and get back to work." She replied

"Glad to hear it. I look forward to seeing your new ship plying the space lanes. If you will excuse me." Said Maxwell

"Of course and thank you Captain." She said.

A few hours later the Essex dropped the Azura's crew off at Earth Spacedock and headed back out on a standard patrol. Captain Sulu contacted them from Spacedock and asked Maxwell to go to the Beytan System. Apparently the miners are having issues with their work environment. Maxwell and T'Vrell beamed down to the planet and spoke with Brian Vanderberg, Chief of the mining operation there.

"You don't know anything about us Captain. Talk to my people, learn about their problems. When you know what you're dealing with here then we'll be ready to negotiate." He said

The first three people they met were two men and a woman. The first man was named Parry Schmitter. "We need protection! This is a prime target for the Orions or Nausicaans. They'll take the pergium and kill us all, and where will Starfleet be? Off exploring the galaxy! It took a work stoppage to get Starfleet to notice us. How are you going to protect us if you're not here?" He asked

"Perhaps Starfleet can route more regular patrols or even station a few ships here to ward off pirates." Suggested T'Vrell.

"I'll put it in the report to Starfleet." Said Maxwell.

Next was a woman named Samantha Lewis. "These tools are antiques! We need upgraded computers, new drills and new safety equipment. It makes me mad that the Federation spends all its resources building fancy starships and fighting wars. What about the people who do real work?" she asked

"We can provide improved safety equipment right away with our industrial replicators. Drills and computers are a bigger order and may take some time. Transmit a list of safety equipment to my ship and we'll see what we can do." Said Maxwell.

"Thank you."

The last person in the group was an alien Maxwell couldn't identify. His name was Prohaska. "I'm worried about my job! Holograms can do everything I can do, and they don't need to eat or sleep. I want assurances that we're not going to be replaced by a bunch of photons." He said

"That's true but keep in mind that this mining facility isn't set up to support photonic life. It's actually cheaper to use biological labor. Holoemitters require high levels of maintenance and skilled engineers. That's why they're mostly used on starships."

"I heard about a dilithium mining operation that exclusively employed Mark I Emergency Medical Holograms."

"I know of it. But that facility was specifically set up for holograms. I don't think you'll lose your job anytime soon."

Maxwell and T'Vrell walked about the camp and found another group of miners and introduced themselves. The first person to speak up was a man named Joe Hadley.

"It gets boring out here. We have a holodeck, but it's been broken for weeks. We need someone to fix the holodeck and upgrade the replicators. More books and data programs for our library would be good too. Maybe if there was more entertainment for our off-duty hours, people wouldn't be so eager to get off this ball of rock."

"I'll send down my engineer to take a look at your holodeck and replicators. We'll also link our computer with yours so you can download whatever you'd like but we'll only be in orbit a few more hours." Replied Maxwell.

The last person was a woman named Leslie Vinci. "If we had more workers, we could have eight-hour shifts again. Working in the mines for 10 or 12 hours is dangerous. When people get tired they make mistakes. Someone could get hurt."

"That certainly is a concern. I'll make sure Starfleet understands the situation." Replied Maxwell.

He and T'Vrell returned to Vanderberg and negotiated for a few minutes. Zarva and an engineering team beamed down a moment later and was able to repair the holodeck fairly easily. Upgraded replicators were also distributed as well as updated safety equipment. Starfleet command said it would increase regular patrols for better security. The system was close to Earth so it was a strategic concern as well as for the safety of the miners.

Three hours later Maxwell and T'Vrell beamed up to the Essex and the ship resumed its regular duties.


	4. Diplomatic Orders

Chapter 4 Diplomatic Orders

Obi-wan stepped out of the elevator and approached an old man sitting in a type of throne, hands bound in energy to the armrests. Behind him, a fierce battle was raging in the stars. Massive starships and tiny fighters all fighting to stay alive and destroy the enemy. The older man looked behind the two men who had come to rescue him. "Count Dooku." He whispered.

Obi-wan and the younger man turned to see an old but fit man with gray hair and a full grey beard, standing on a balcony of sorts. Behind him were two large mechanical guards. "Get help, you're no match for him he's a Sith Lord."

Obi-wan turned with a smile to the man bound in the chair. "Chancellor Palpatine, Sith Lords are our specialty.

"Your swords please. We wouldn't want to make a mess of things in front of the Chancellor." The old man said before leaping into a summersault and landing on his feet.

"This time we will do it together." Said Obi-wan.

"I was about to say that."

The two men took off their heavy cloaks and grabbed two handles from their belts. From those handles sprung blades of plasma contained in a magnetic field. Both had a blue color.

Dooku took his own blade and turned it on, a distinctive snap-hiss signaled its activation. This sword had a blood red color.

The three man approached each other and were about to engage when a voice came over the comm. "Bridge to Captain Maxwell."

Maxwell sighed. "Computer freeze program. Go ahead."

" _The engineers have finished our upgrades and you're receiving a message from Admiral Quinn."_

"I'll take it in my quarters. Recall all crew on leave and standby to get underway."

" _Yes sir._ "

"Computer save program and exit holodeck." He ordered

The computer beeped in acknowledgment the scene around him faded to a yellow-grid pattern and a door opened to a corridor. Maxwell went to his quarters and changed into his uniform, then tapped the comm. panel.

"Admiral Quinn." He said in greeting.

" _Lieutenant Maxwell. Good to see you are settling in as a captain. I have a diplomatic mission for you. A quick run between Vulcan and P'Jem. A Vulcan Ambassador named Sokketh is to be taken to the monastery at P'Jem. Normally the Vulcan security service would handle it but there are rumors of Klingon raiders deep in our space. Protecting the Ambassador is your top priority. You'll find the Ambassador on Vulcan. Once there escort him to P'Jem._ " Said the Admiral.

"Understood sir. We'll get going right away. By the way I never got the chance to thank you for these upgrades."

" _You earned them Lieutenant._ " He replied and the channel closed.

Maxwell went to the bridge and found Flores in the center chair.

"Captain on the bridge." Said a crewman.

"As you were. Status report."

"Sir, the last crewmembers have beamed aboard. We're ready to go."

"Very well. T'Vrell contact Utopia control and request permission to depart."

"Aye sir."

"Helm, standby thrusters, once we're clear of the system take us to Vulcan."

"Aye sir."

"Captain, Utopia control has granted us permission to depart."

"Very well. Ensign, take us out."

"Aye sir."

The Essex cleared its moorings and the thrusters ignited. The ship moved forward slowly at first then cleared drydock. Engine power went up and the impulse engines came online. The ship began moving much faster and quickly cleared the system. The nacelles flashed before the ship jumped to warp.

It was only a few hours to arrive at Vulcan once they arrived in orbit the Ambassador's aide contacted the ship.

"Captain, we have arrived at the Vulcan system. Ambassador Sokketh's aide is hailing us." Reported T'Vrell.

"On screen and take us into standard orbit ensign."

"Aye sir."

A female Vulcan appeared on the viewscreen. " _Greeting Lieutenant Maxwell. I am T'Pela, Ambassador Sokketh's aide. Thank you for agreeing to escort the ambassador to P'Jem. Ambassador Sokketh is currently attending a ritual to honor the end of the Kal Rakk holiday. He will be done soon, but the Ambassador is…hesitant to use transporter technology. His bias against the transporters is not logical but I have come to accept it._ _I believe that Sokketh would be much more comfortable traveling to the Essex by shuttlecraft. I have received clearance for you to land near the ambassador's location. I look forward to meeting you in person, Lieutenant."_

"Understood. I'll be down momentarily. Flores you're with me. T'Vrell you have the bridge." Replied Maxwell.

"Yes sir." Replied T'Vrell.

Maxwell and Flores went to the turbolift and went to the launch-bay. The Essex was a modern replica of the older NX-class but so were the shuttles with all the modern safety features a vessel would have. The ride down to the planet was uneventful to say the least. They requested clearance to land and Vulcan control responded.

" _Starfleet shuttlecraft this is Vulcan orbital control, we have logged your flight trajectory and you are cleared to land at the requested coordinates. Welcome to Vulcan please…enjoy your stay."_

"Thank you control. Alright Flores put us on the deck." Replied Maxwell

She nodded then hit some more controls, the shuttle banked hard left then came about 180 degrees and landed softly. She smiled at Maxwell. "That was certainly one of your better landings." He said playfully.

"Watch it Lieutenant. I'm armed…" she replied

"Stay with the shuttle I'll be back soon."

Maxwell exited the shuttle and began walking up the rise towards the temple where Sokketh is supposed to be. When he reached the top he looked around but couldn't find him. A helpful Vulcan quickly pointed him out and Maxwell approached. The ambassador noticed and raised his hand in the traditional Vulcan salute.

"Welcome to Vulcan." He said

"Thank you, ambassador Sokketh. Are you ready to leave?"

"This is ridiculous. Access to P'Jem is limited to preserve the sanctity of the monastery. No outsiders are allowed on the planet without the permission of Savin, the leader of the order who maintains the planet. Ordinarily this would not be a problem, but Savin has chosen this moment to illogically question my visiting the monastery. He is refusing to grant leave for me to meet with the Abbot at P'Jem." The Ambassador said, his voice getting slightly emotional.

"Can this trip wait until Savin changes his mind?" asked Maxwell

"If I do not complete my journey to P'Jem now then I would have to delay it until after the trade conference at Coridan. That could take weeks." He replied

"I wonder why Savin won't grant you permission." Maxwell said

"I fear I have spent too much time off world. While I find it easy to deal with others, my own people can be…stubborn. Perhaps you could speak with Savin. I know he has a great deal of respect for Starfleet and you might have an easier time than I have." Said Sokketh

"I'll talk to him then…where can I find him?"

"He is right over there." Sokketh said pointing out the man.

Maxwell approached the man and introduced himself. He asked several questions and Savin voiced many concerns and…suspicions? Maxwell was beginning to wonder himself but he had his orders. "Is there any way I can persuade you to allow Sokketh to visit P'Jem?" he asked

"I will permit it if you will pledge to me, on your honor as a Starfleet officer that no harm will come to P'Jem. Sokketh says his reasons for visiting are private and I will accept that. But only if you are with him. I have found Starfleet to be a most trustworthy organization. Please protect the sanctity of our refuge." He replied

Maxwell thanked Savin and returned to Sokketh. "I've spoken with Savin; we can leave at your convenience."

"Excellent, our departure has been delayed long enough by the whims of one man. I am prepared to leave at once."

"Very good. We have a shuttle waiting at the bottom of the hill." Replied Maxwell.

"T'Pela attend to the matter we discussed earlier. I am leaving with the Lieutenant to board my shuttle."

"Yes ambassador have a safe trip. Live long and prosper." She replied

Maxwell lead the Ambassador down the rise to the shuttle. Flores was waiting outside. "Ambassador Sokketh this is Ensign Elisa Flores, our shuttle pilot and my first officer."

"Greetings Ensign."

"Ambassador."

"Lieutenant, this is not a Starfleet issue shuttlecraft is it?" asked the Ambassador.

"Old design outside, modern tech underneath. A quite capable craft." Said Maxwell.

They stepped inside and Sokketh took a seat in the back while Maxwell sat up front with Flores.

" _This is Vulcan orbital control; you are cleared for departure."_

The shuttle lifted off smoothly can quickly gained altitude. In ten minutes they were in orbit, another five was required to dock with the Essex. A security honor guard met them as they came out, along with them were some of the senior officers.

"Ambassador may I present my senior staff, T'Vrell is my science officer, Kolez is my chief of security and Zarva is my chief engineer." He said

Sokketh bowed in greeting to them. "I need to meditate and prepare for my meeting with the abbot at P'Jem. If you have no objections I will retire to my quarters." He said

"Of course. Ensign Williams will see you to your quarters." Replied Maxwell motioning for a crewman.

"Right this way Ambassador."

Maxwell and Flores went back to the bridge. "Helm, take us out of orbit and set course for P'Jem, warp 3."

"Aye sir. Course plotted and laid in."

Maxwell pointed his hand forward. "Engage."

It was a very short trip to P'Jem. But when the ship dropped out of warp there was a surprise waiting for them in the form of a strange energy reading.

"Captain, I'm getting an odd energy reading from dead ahead. We should scan the area before taking the Ambassador down."

"Very well. T'Vrell?"

"Scanning…three Klingon Birds of Prey decloaking!" she reported.

"Red Alert!"

"Captain they are hailing us!" reported the comm. officer.

"On screen."

" _You have a foul shape-changer on your ship. Turn the creature over to us or we will destroy you."_

"You're gonna have to be more specific. There are eighty people on this ship."

" _Your so-called 'Ambassador' Sokketh is an Undine also known as Species 8472. I say again turn it over to us or be destroyed._ "

"I'm going to need more than your word that our guest is an Undine spy."

" _You insult my honor? Doubt my word?_ "

"Well it's not that I don't trust you…it's just…I don't trust you. You know since we are at war and stuff…besides I have no proof that what you say is true."

" _Then you will be destroyed as will the spy aboard your ship!_ "

With that the channel closed and the ships opened fire. The Essex shook violently and returned fire. Phaser fire spewed out from multiple ports along with a flurry of the new quantum torpedoes. Two of the Klingon ships immediately exploded. The third was damaged but managed to get in a good hit and the shields went down. A new alarm sounded, one that no captain ever wanted to hear.

"Intruder alert! Five groups on B deck."

"Alert security, T'Vrell, Flores come with me. Potter, you have the bridge." Ordered Maxwell.

The three officers grabbed rifles from an arms locker and went to B Deck. When the turbolift door opened they were in the middle of a firefight, phasers and disruptors crisscrossing the corridor. Maxwell leaned out and added his fire to the security team then tapped his combadge. "Maxwell to Williams, the Klingons have boarded and they're after the Ambassador. Protect him at all costs!" he said

" _Understood sir. Additional security is already here- get down!"_

The channel closed with static. The ship shook again, an internal explosion probably a grenade.

"Ensign? Ensign!" Maxwell repeated his call but there was no answer. He looked at Flores "Let's go."

Maxwell, Flores and T'Vrell piled out of the turbolift they were taking cover in and darted across the corridor. Maxwell led the way around to the Ambassador's quarters. The scene before them was gruesome. Ensign Williams was barely recognizable, there were two other security officers badly burned but there were about five Klingon bodies, indicating a fierce fight had taken place. There was no trace of Ambassador Sokketh. T'Vrell crouched to scan one of the Klingons, and noticed something peculiar. "Captain, take a look at these readings. Fragments of non-humanoid DNA and…this is odd. The DNA is a triple-helix. Very dense." She reported.

"Triple-Helix?" He snapped his fingers in recognition "Oh crap! Computer, locate Ambassador Sokketh." Maxwell asked.

" _Ambassador Sokketh is not on the ship._ " The computer replied

"How and when did he leave?"

" _Logs indicate that Ambassador Sokketh transported to P'Jem less than five minutes ago._ "

"Maxwell to Kolez, report."

" _All Klingon boarding parties eliminated sir. Twelve dead, twenty wounded._ "

"Have a security team met me in the transporter room. On the double. Ambassador Sokketh is an Undine. The Klingons were right. Flores you're with me. T'Vrell, stay here and help the wounded. Tell Kolez he has the bridge."

Maxwell and Flores rushed to the transporter room, waiting for them was a six-man team all decked-out in full body armor. Maxwell led them up onto the platform. "Phasers on stun. Remember, this is a monastery we're beaming down too. No unnecessary collateral damage. Understood?" He said

"Yes sir." They all replied

"Very well. Energize."

Maxwell, Flores and six security officers beamed down to P'Jem following the coordinates input by Ambassador Sokketh. The immediate area was secure so Flores scanned the area. "I'm detecting several Klingon and Vulcan life-signs. I can't find the Undine though."

"I don't think you'll be able to. They can mask their life-signs as something else. We'll have to find him ourselves. Come on." Replied Maxwell.

Maxwell led the team up a series of steps and as they reached the top they found four Klingons overlooking the cliff. On Maxwell's signal everyone fired at once on all four targets. The phaser pulses punched through the personal shields of the warriors and killed all four. They continued up the path and managed to sneak up on three Klingons pointing disruptors at a group of Vulcans.

"Hand over the shape-changer and we'll let you live!" one demanded.

Before the Vulcan could respond a trio of phaser blasts stunned all three Klingons who then collapsed in a heap. Maxwell approached the lead Vulcan.

"Thank you for your assistance. We will attend to the wounded. The Klingons seek the Abbot at the top of the hill, please hurry." He said

Maxwell nodded and the team moved halfway up a grassy hill before they were ambushed by half-a-dozen Klingons. Maxwell raised his rifle and fired at any target. It wasn't long before the fight ended. He turned to ascertain the status of his team and saw Flores standing beside two of his officers on the ground. "Olson and Harrison are dead sir." She said quietly.

Maxwell sighed and tapped his combadge. "Essex, away team reporting, two KIA, lock onto Olson and Harrison and beam them up."

" _Acknowledged."_

"We need to keep moving." Maxwell said

The away team moved to the top of the hill and found 'Ambassador Sokketh' crouched over an unconscious Vulcan Abbot. Sokketh recognized him and stood with a smirk.

"Such emotion on your face…I see know my deception has been exposed. Pity, capturing the Abbot so we could replace him as well would have been beneficial. But we are strong. We will prevail. You weak and the weak shall parish!" he said before suddenly transforming into a tall, tri-pedal being a form Maxwell quickly identified as Species 8472.

"Open fire!" he yelled

The entire away team opened fire with their weapons hitting the creature repeatedly. After only a few minutes of sustained fire the Undine ran away transforming into a Klingon. "Bothersome creatures! Why should I trouble myself with such insignificant beings? When the Klingons will do my work for me…" he said then ran down a flight of stairs to a pair of Klingons. "Warriors! Prepare for battle. There is a group of Starfleet officers behind me. One of them is the foul shapeshifter. I am returning to the ship, don't let them leave this planet alive."

"Kapla!"

"Yes sir."

Maxwell and Flores aimed their rifles from the top of the hill. Both of them carried sniper rifles for long range support. A pair of targeting beams sprang from the rifles and a second later a powerful phaser bolt lashed out, vaporizing both Klingons. "So much for doing his work for him." One of the officers quipped.

"Don't get cocky, there are more Klingons further down." Maxwell said then led his team from the stone stairway to a dirt trail leading to a flat area. Two Klingons were hiding in the brush on the hill but they were detected and shot. Another half-dozen Klingons waited at the bottom of the hill, so Maxwell spread his team out and snuck through the brush. Since the Klingons were in an open area nowhere near any buildings he pulled out a photon grenade, pressed the button on the top and silently rolled it into the middle of the group of Klingons. Two seconds later, the grenade exploded vaporizing two Klingons and badly burning two more. That left two for the team to deal with. A flurry of phaser pulses from the security team's full auto rifles put them both down. The team moved into the area where the Klingons had been but couldn't find the Undine. "Flores, scan the area."

She pulled out her tricorder and made a quick scan. "Looks like he got away sir. But I'm getting residual transporter indications. He probably beamed up to a hidden ship in orbit. I recommend we return to the Essex." She said

"Very well. Maxwell to Essex, six to beam up."

The away team disappeared from the surface of P'Jem, leaving behind a surprisingly undisturbed monastery.

Maxwell strode onto the bridge, Flores right behind him. "Mr. Kolez, report."

"Sir, the ship is secure and sustained minor damage from the fight and boarding parties. Eighteen of the wounded are stable the other two are still in critical condition. Starfleet is sending a small task force to assist us."

"Very well. Scan the area for Undine ships."

"Yes sir."

T'Vrell came out of the turbolift and took her station. "Captain, there is an undine ship on an intercept course. They are powering weapons."

Kolez spun from his chair at the communications station. "We can't take on an Undine ship alone. Starfleet reports our backup is sixty seconds away." He said

"So we only have to hold out for one minute. Suggestions?" Maxwell said

"Sir, we should transfer all power to shields and focus our fire on the larger plasma torpedoes they fire. It might just give us a chance."

"Very good, but balance our power between shields and weapons, auxiliary power to engines and maneuvering thrusters. Helm, keep us mobile, but move us into an attack position, pattern Alpha One. Torpedoes, maximum yield. Open fire with everything we've got, and give me a countdown until reinforcements arrive on my tactical display." He said

The Essex came about and fired phasers and torpedoes at the Undine ship. But Kolez was right, even with the newer quantum torpedoes they barely made a dent in the enemy ship's shields. "Torpedo incoming." Flores reported.

"Target phasers and fire."

Her hands darted across her tactical board switching targets and firing phasers in less than five seconds. The first few shots missed but the next spread of phasers found its target and the plasma torpedo dissipated. Flores refocused on the ship itself and fired another volley of high yield torpedoes. She initiated a level one beam overload on the forward phaser array and a thicker more power beam shot out but still didn't damage the enemies shields much. It seemed hopeless as another torpedo got too close for comfort. Then just before it impacted the reinforcements showed up and took it out. Two tier two cruisers, two escorts and a science vessel turned and opened fire on the Undine ship. The Essex took up position in the fleet and coordinated fire began wearing down the shields. Eventually they collapsed and the ship was destroyed but the Essex was heavily damaged by the explosion.

"Captain we're being hailed." Reported T'Vrell.

"On screen."

An Andorian captain appeared on the viewscreen.

" _This is Captain Thelin of the U.S.S. Kirk. Glad to see we got here in time to lend a hand, Lieutenant. Perhaps you'll return the favor someday. Thelin out_."

"Appreciate the help. T'Vrell, scan the debris maybe we can get some information out of it. Bridge to Engineering, Zarva; damage report." Said Maxwell

"Aye sir." Replied T'Vrell

"We're venting plasma from the port nacelle, there are also hull breaches on decks B and C. No additional casualties reported." Zarva reported

"Time to Utopia Planitia?" Maxwell asked

"The best I can give you right now is warp two. A few weeks minimum." Zarva replied

"Very well. Helm, lay in a course, best speed." Ordered Maxwell

"Course plotted and laid in." replied the helmsmen.

"Engage."


	5. Hide and Seek

Chapter 5 Hide and Seek

After the fierce fight with the Undine ship over P'Jem, the Essex was limping back to the Sol system at its best speed, which wasn't fast. Luckily another Federation ship offered to take them in tow and they got back much faster. It took the engineers at Utopia Planitia a solid two weeks to repair the damage from the battle. During that time many of the crew elected to have their family brought aboard to visit, including Maxwell's parents who were currently having lunch in the Captain's mess along with Elisa Flores and T'Vrell. During their meal the doorbell rang.

It was Admiral Quinn.

"Lieutenant, I need to see you privately as soon as possible. I have a new mission for you and your crew."

"Yes sir. May I present, my parents, William and Sara Maxwell."

Quinn shook both parent's hands. "Pleased to meet you. You've raised a fine young man Mr. Maxwell."

"Thank you, Admiral. We're both very proud of him." William replied.

After seeing his parents off the ship Maxwell went to a small briefing room with Admiral Quinn and an officer from Starfleet Intelligence. Quinn stood and began the briefing.

"Lieutenant, this briefing is classified. After your fight with the Undine ship over P'Jem we intercepted a number of coded transmissions headed for Klingon space. We've been working on cracking those codes and we able to do so only a few days ago. These messages have several references to the Paulson Nebula in the Lackey system. An area we know little about. We need you to survey the area and report back anything unusual. Be advised however that the Nebula clouds sensor scans so it may screen any opponents from view."

"Understood sir."

"Your ship is fully repaired and reloaded. Try to bring it back in one piece Lieutenant." Quinn said with a smirk.

"I'll do my best sir." Maxwell replied then went to a transporter room and beamed back to the Essex.

The ship departed Utopia Planitia without incident and jumped to warp on course for the Lackey system.

It took a week to reach the Lackey system, when the ship dropped out of warp they found another Federation ship under attack by Gorn vessels. T'Vrell reported a distress call from the _U.S.S._ _Valor_ , a Centaur-class tactical frigate. Engines and weapons were offline and shields were failing. The Essex immediately sprang into action with a full volley of quantum torpedoes, impacting the pair of Vishap-class frigates and weakening their shields. The goal was to get both vessels to stop shooting the Valor and concentrate on the larger threat, the Essex.

"Helm, bring us about, Flores target the ship to port, full Alpha Strike." Ordered Maxwell.

The ship came around under fire and opened up on one enemy. An overloaded phaser strike drained a shield facing, leaving the front of the ship exposed to a pair of high yield torpedoes which destroyed it. The other frigate, incensed at the loss of its comrade increased its speed and set a collision course, but the Essex had another trick up its sleeve.

"Activate grapplers. Hard to starboard."

The launch bay opened and a pair of magnetic claws were launched at the Gorn ship. The Essex's violent maneuver to the right jerked the frigate and tore a hole in the hull, leaving the ship disabled. From the aft launchers another pair of high yield torpedoes finished off the last ship.

"Secure from battlestations and open a channel to the Valor." Ordered Maxwell.

A human captain appeared on a static-filled viewscreen. _"Thanks for the assistance Maxwell. Nice job. We were on a mapping mission of the Paulson nebula but failed to compensate for the power drain on our engines. When we retreated, we found this illegal Gorn mining facility."_

"That explains the attack. Do you need any further assistance?" asked Maxwell.

 _"Indeed. My chief engineer says we need some new dilithium crystals. Without them we can't go anywhere. There are crystals on some of the larger asteroids here, that's why we came here in the first place. If you could bring us some crystals, we can get our engines going and get back to a Starbase for repairs."_

"Understood. Sit tight. We'll be back before you know it." Said Maxwell.

"Helm, set course for the nearest asteroid. T'Vrell, keep a sensor lock on the Valor, if more Gorn attack I want to know about it. Also find the other asteroids containing dilithium and route the data to the helm. Let's get the dilithium and get the Valor out of the system." Maxwell ordered.

The first load was beamed aboard without incident. However, behind the second rock lurked a Tuatara-class cruiser that immediately attacked when the Essex tried to beam the crystals up. After ducking behind the asteroid to avoid more weapons fire and bring the shields up the Essex came around behind the cruiser. A tachyon beam drained the aft shields and an Alpha Strike caused enough damage for the warp core to go critical and explode. The Essex managed to avoid the explosion by ducking back under the same asteroid. The ship headed for the last asteroid and beamed up the needed contents and set a course back to the Valor. On the way T'Vrell reported another vessel in close proximity to the Valor, as they got closer the ship turned out to be another Gorn cruiser. The Valor was firing what weapons it had but wasn't making a dent in the shields. The Essex swooped in from the nebula and hit it with a full Alpha Strike, draining the shields and damaging the hull. The Gorn ship turned to present fresh shields and intact hull but the Essex turned with it and ended up in front of it. A pair of torpedoes from the aft launchers impacted the damaged hull through severely weakened shields and destroyed it. Luckily the explosion was far enough away to not damage the Valor any further.

The dilithium was transported to the Valor without further incident. The captain of the Valor recommended that the Essex visit Lackey III, home of a decalithium mining facility taken over by the Gorn. Decalithium crystals work better in the Paulson nebula than normal dilithium. A short warp jump and the Essex arrived in orbit above Lackey III. In orbit over a large asteroid were a pair of Vishap-class frigates that posed little challenge for the Essex. However, once they attempted to beam up some decalithium they encountered another problem.

"Captain, there appears to be a dampening field of some kind in place over the station. It's being projected by a nearby facility. We can't beam anything up but we should be able to beam explosive charges down and destroy the station." Reported T'Vrell.

"Make it so." Replied Maxwell.

A moment later a half-dozen spatial charges materialized on the jamming station. A warning was transmitted and a minute later the charges went off, destroying the station and a sizable portion of the asteroid it was built on. A Gorn cruiser tried to interfere but some quick maneuvering and the Essex was able to get out of range. They beamed up enough decalithium to power the engines and jumped to warp again.

The Essex dropped out of warp in the Paulson nebula at yellow alert, shields and weapons were on standby but not active.

"Engineering, this is the bridge. How are the decalithium crystals working out?" asked Maxwell.

 _"They're doing well sir. I'm reading enough of an increase in engine efficiency to boost impulse engines in the nebula."_ Replied Chief Engineer Zarva

"T'Vrell, sensor scan please."

"The metallic density of the nebula is much higher than I'd expect from a nebula of this class. There is something here sir, but it may be built on another high density object. I recommend we scan all suspicious objects in the vicinity. There are three within fifty thousand kilometers. I have tentative identification on them. One is an asteroid, a large satellite and another larger asteroid." She replied

"Very well, helm, lay in a course." Ordered Maxwell

The first object they scanned was an asteroid with an old mining facility built on it. But the mine was played out and therefore abandoned. The second was a large 22nd century satellite of Federation design. Before they found the last object however they were forced to engaged a trio of B'rel-class Birds of Prey. Even though the Essex was outnumbered its recent upgrades to shields and weapons ensured success. Flores did sound a note of caution after the fight.

"Sir, I recommend against any more Alpha Strikes. The phaser emitters are beginning to wear down. Normal fire is still available though."

"Noted."

The third structure was another asteroid but this one was much larger than the first. The facility built onto it was not like a mining facility. In orbit was a ship of distinctly Klingon design. A Vor'cha-class cruiser.

"Captain I'm getting some odd readings in the surrounding area. I think it's a minefield of some kind. The energy signatures are likely masked." Reported Flores

"We still need to investigate. T'Vrell, standby tachyon beam on the Vor'cha, Flores, high yield torpedoes and set phasers to short range point defense mode. Helm, Attack Pattern Alpha I."

"Ready sir." T'Vrell reported

"Weapons set."

"Attack course plotted."

"Take us in."

The Essex moved in at half impulse because of the minefield. Sensors indicated that the enemy ship was an older model with an equally old shield matrix. It did not stand up to the tachyon beam the Essex projected from its deflector. The beam drained the shield and a pair of torpedoes was sufficient to destroy it. Mines began moving toward the ship but the phaser array responded in quick bursts clearing a path to the large asteroid. The Essex came to a full stop above the facility.

"T'Vrell, what do you have?" asked Maxwell

"The mines were clearly Klingon in origin and gravitic in nature. I am detecting several Klingon lifesigns in the facility as well." She reported

"I'm intercepting a number of high-frequency transmissions from the facility. I think it's a listening post. How did they manage to build one so deep in Federation territory though?" Flores asked

"A good question. Away team to the transporter room." Ordered Maxwell.

Flores, T'Vrell, Zarva and another security officer beamed down to the facility. They immediately engaged three Klingons directly ahead. Despite having a reputation for being formidable warriors the officers were taken off guard and didn't last long. Flores pulled out her tricorder after the last enemy fell.

"This facility can't be too big. We should be able to find the data center fairly easily." She reported.

"Move out. Keep it quiet." Ordered Maxwell

The team moved into a single file formation and proceeded down a hallway. Maxwell turned a corner and signaled the team to stop. A single Klingon had his back turned and was working on a power relay. Maxwell motioned to T'Vrell and she changed positions with him. Very quietly she snuck up on the Klingon and pinched his neck causing him to lose conscience and fall to the ground. The team waited a moment for the possible alarm to go off but didn't hear anything.

Maxwell signaled 'move forward' with a single finger. They turned another corner and the hallway tuned into an incline. At the top of the incline were three warriors apparently waiting for them. A disruptor fired and the bolt impacted the security officer. Luckily the officer was wearing a personal shield and survived the hit. The warriors weren't so fortunate. Their armor didn't stand up to four phaser rifles and went down quickly.

A door to the right opened into a control room of some kind with several more officers at their stations. One Klingon noticed the away team. "Intruders!" he yelled

The team took cover and a firefight broke out. It took some time but the Starfleet team prevailed. After securing the area T'Vrell accessed the computer and set up a transmission to the Essex. "It will take time to download the data. We will have to defend the core until it is complete." She reported.

Maxwell quickly pointed out the best defensive positions and everyone took available cover. Maxwell himself moved a crate in front of the core and stood in front of it. About thirty seconds into the download a half dozen Klingons beamed in a tight group. A perfect target for a grenade which was thrown by Maxwell. The photon grenade eliminated half the enemy targets. The other three were equipped with personal shields allowing them to survive. The team opened fire and concentrated on single targets to penetrate the shielding. Moments later the remnants of the Klingon team were killed.

Another thirty second went by and a single Klingon beamed in. It appeared to be a Dahar Master. His shields were extremely tough. The burly Klingon managed to take down the security officer with dual pistols and then charged at Maxwell. Maxwell's shields held against the assault but his own weapon managed to drain the shields enough to hit the armor. The Klingon stumbled slightly and dropped his weapons but drew a Bat'leth just as quick. As the Klingon raised his sword to cleave Maxwell in two, Maxwell used the butt of his rifle to strike the Klingon in the stomach. The Klingon took two steps back and started to strike again but his sword was out of position to defend against a rifle strike to his face. Dazed, he stumbled back again, Maxwell stepped forward and struck him with a left and rifle butt stroke. Even through his daze the Klingon swung his sword and Maxwell avoided it by jumping back thus giving the rest of his team a clear shot. Three phaser beams hit the Klingon and he went down just as the computer beeped, indicating the transfer was complete.

More Klingons were heard outside the door. "Maxwell to Essex, five to beam

The away team was beamed away just as a dozen Klingons burst through the doors. Maxwell and the team went to the bridge while the security officer was taken to sickbay. Kolez reported as he stepped off the turbolift.

"Ensign Williams' injuries were severe but he should recover. Sensors indicate several Klingon ships headed this way. If we leave now we can get out of the nebula before they arrive." He said

"Very well. Helm, get us out of here full impulse. Flores, aft torpedoes maximum yield. Destroyed the outpost as we leave. Let's make sure they can't use it anymore."

"Aye sir."

The Essex moved away as quickly as it could and as it left a volley of twelve torpedoes flashed out of the aft launchers. The torpedoes detonated, destroying the outpost, the asteroid and the remaining mines. The Essex exited the nebula and immediately jumped to warp. A dozen Klingon ships arrived at the location of the now destroyed listening post.

All they found was debris.

Maxwell was greeted by Admiral Quinn at Earth Spacedock.

"Well done Lieutenant. Starfleet Intelligence will begin analyzing the data from the listening post immediately. With any luck we'll find something that will help us gain the upper hand in our fight with the Klingons. I'm granting you and your crew a forty-eight-hour leave. When you get back I should have another mission for you."


	6. Stop the Signal

Chapter 6 Stop the Signal

Maxwell and the crew of the Essex returned after forty-eight-hours to find their ship upgraded once again. Maxwell went to Earth Spacedock after Quinn ordered him to report to his office.

"Lieutenant, welcome back. We've been able to decrypt some of the signals you intercepted at the listening post. Our intelligence believes there is at least one more such station out there. What we do have is the location of a signal repeater that boosts subspace transmissions to and from these stations. Your orders are to report to the Bomari system, find the repeater and follow the signals back to the listening post. Once you find it, you are authorized to use whatever means necessary to neutralize the outpost. If at all possible, recover that stations computer data as well but consider that a secondary objective." Quinn said

"Yes sir. But it will take some time to get there, sir. Almost a week at warp five." Replied Maxwell

"We've upgraded your engines; you should be able to push warp seven. That should cut a few days off your trip. Will you need anything else?" Quinn asked

"No sir. We'll get the job done." Maxwell replied

"Good. When you get back I'll have another assignment for you. Oh and by the way, the paperwork hasn't come through all the way yet but…congratulations Lieutenant Commander." Quinn said with a smile.

"Thank you, sir."

"Come back from this mission and I'll have another pip for your uniform and a selection of ships to choose from. As well as the authority to promote officers under your command. You've earned it. Dismissed."

"Yes sir and thank you."

Maxwell walked to the transporter with a bit of a spring in his step. It was almost unheard of for an officer to make Lieutenant Commander in less than six months, much less right out of the Academy. Then again, it's unheard of for a cadet to be promoted to Lieutenant right out of the Academy too. He beamed aboard the Essex and it departed the station and jumped to warp. He assembled his senior officers in the Captain's mess and explained the mission. He also informed them of his pending promotion…and theirs. They were all excited to hear that they were being promoted.

"Before you tell anyone else, let me remind you that these promotions are pending and they also assume we come back from this mission. So don't screw us up by getting killed ok?" Maxwell said

It took the Essex four days to get to the Bomari system. Along the way Maxwell conducted several mock battle drills to keep his crew in top shape. He wanted to make sure his crew was ready for anything. The Essex dropped out of warp on the edge of an asteroid belt. There was some kind of particle in the area that slowed the ship, full impulse was not available. T'Vrell conducted a scan as soon as they arrived.

"Sir, the Klingons are using low-frequency subspace carrier to transmit their stolen signals. I'll have to scan all frequencies to find the one they are using. But we'll need to get closer to the repeater to lock onto the right frequency." She said

"Do it." Ordered Maxwell. He then leaned over the helm. "Ensign, take us in. One-half impulse."

"Aye sir."

A moment went by then T'Vrell reported. "I've got it sir. Frequency 17.1"

"Trace the destination."

"The signal is bouncing off another repeater further in-system. I've sent the coordinates to the helm."

"Take us there."

The Essex got within five kilometers before a trio of Klingon Birds of Prey decloaked and opened fire. The shields held while the ship returned fire. Repeated phaser strikes destroyed one and a torpedo spread destroyed the other two.

"It does not appear that they got off a signal to any other ships…I have the location of the listening post. Somewhere between the binary moons of Bomari II." T'Vrell reported

"Ensign, lay in a course and engage."

It was a short warp jump to Bomari II. Flores reported Klingon ships and three transporter inhibiters in orbit above the listening post. They were unshielded but sensors indicated ships in the vicinity possibly guarding the devices.

The first disruptor was unguarded and destroyed with a pair of torpedoes. The second was guarded by a single Bird of Prey but it posed no challenge for the NX replica. As the ship passed over the listening post a trio of B'rel-class Birds of Prey decloaked and fired from behind. An evasive pattern by the helmsmen put the enemy ships under the Essex's main guns. A full spread of torpedoes destroyed the ships quickly. A quick scan found no more enemy ships and a weakened transport inhibiter field. The Essex moved to the last one and destroyed it with a series of phaser strikes. With the last generator down the field collapsed and transporters were enabled. Maxwell, T'Vrell, Zarva and Kolez beamed down to the listening post.

"I received authorization to destroy this base before the mission began. Once we have the database we'll destroy it from the ship. A couple of quantum torpedoes ought to do it. Let's start with the door to the left. Standard assault formation, move." Maxwell said.

The team stacked up next to the door, two on each side. Maxwell waved his hand in front of the door to trigger the sensor. The door opened to reveal a room of four Klingons who didn't turn when the door opened. They probably assumed it was their comrades. Maxwell smiled. Single phaser shots to the back were sufficient to put the inattentive warriors down. There was nothing else of interest in the room so they moved on. Kolez took a moment to scan the structure with his tricorder. "Curious. This listening post seems to be almost an exact match to the one we boarded a few months ago. These alloys appear to be all replicated."

"They replicated the entire base?" asked Maxwell

"Even industrial replicators can't make an entire base. They probably replicated sections of it and put it together out here. Prefabricated buildings." Said Zarva.

The team moved forward and found more Klingons further down the hallway. An alarm sounded as four more Klingons moved to engage them. Disruptor fire and phaser bolts crisscrossed the hallway as a fierce firefight broke out. Maxwell took cover and used his full auto rifle's secondary fire to provide suppressing fire while Kolez tossed a grenade. The grenade took out three Klingons and wounded the last. The last Klingon made a last-ditch effort to cause damage by lunging at Maxwell with a dagger. T'Vrell was the first to turn and put a phaser beam into the man's back. "Thanks T'Vrell."

She nodded. "The door ahead is sealed. We'll have to blast it open in order to gain access to the door."

"That's why I brought this little beauty." Said Kolez fishing a circular device out of his belt. "This ought to punch a nice big hole in the door."

Maxwell recognized it as a photonic breaching charge. "Yeah just make sure there is atmosphere on the other side. I don't want to get sucked out into space."

"What and ruin my promotion?" Kolez said with a smile.

"Oh you're worried about _your_ promotion?" asked Maxwell as the team stacked up next to the door.

Kolez laughed lightly as he placed the charge. "Breach charge set…clear!" he yelled.

A large explosion blew most of the door into the next room. Kolez tossed a photon grenade as a distraction as the team rushed in. surprisingly there were only three Klingons in the entire very large room. The pair of warriors went down quickly. The Sword master took more hits but eventually collapsed. "Zarva, computer core." Maxwell said

Zarva rushed to the console and began typing. Suddenly the sound of Klingon transporters filled the room. A half-dozen Klingons had beamed in. "Cover Zarva!" yelled Maxwell. The team contracted to protect the engineer as she hacked the computer core. Maxwell and his team put out a fierce amount of fire from full auto and split beam rifles. The ensign security officer went down as did Kolez. Maxwell covered T'Vrell as she gave him a hypospray. Kolez got back on his feet and drew his sidearm and kept firing. Five Klingons had gone down but there was something different about the last one. He seemed…stronger than normal.

The team got their answer as the Klingon melted away to reveal an Undine infiltrator who was immediately beamed away. "That transporter was not Klingon." Kolez said

"The Undine must be behind the war, playing both sides against each other. We have to destroy this base and inform Starfleet Command. Zarva, download the computer core data to the ship." Ordered Maxwell.

It didn't take long to download the data but the ship contacted them before they were done. _"Sir, sensors are picking up an Undine ship on the far side of the moon. We need you back up here sir."_ Flores reported

"Understood."

"Got the info sir." Said Zarva

"Energize"

Maxwell strode onto the bridge. "Report." He said

"Sir, there is a small Klingon fleet engaging the Undine ship. We should be able to destroy it if we can work together." Reported Flores.

"Standby Alpha Strike. Helm, bring us into firing range, make it obvious that we're targeting the Undine ship."

"Yes sir."

The Essex swooped in between a pair of Birds of Prey firing on the Undine ship. A tachyon beam drained the shields a little and a full alpha strike of phasers and torpedoes didn't do much damage. It took some time but the Undine ship eventually exploded. Maxwell expected weapons fire but was surprised when T'Vrell reported the Klingons hailing them.

"On screen." He said

 _"You have aided us in battle Lieutenant and I respect your bravery. In honor of your actions I will not destroy you…today. Next time you will not be so fortunate."_

"Perhaps someday we'll fight on the same side Captain." Maxwell replied

 _"Perhaps…"_ the Klingon agreed.

The Essex warped back to Earth Spacedock where Lieutenant Maxwell and his senior officers met with Admiral Quinn. "Well done Lieutenant. The information you found will certainly help our war effort. In light of your performance and that of your crew, I hereby promote you to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. You'll also be getting a new ship, your choice of a Constitution Refit, Nova Science Vessel or Saber-class escort. Talk to Lt. Laurel at the shipyard." He said while pinning the rank pip to the collar of Maxwell's uniform.

"Thank you, sir." Said Maxwell

He turned to his bridge crew. "By the authority vested in me by Starfleet Command I hereby promote all of you to the rank of Lieutenant. I look forward to working with you all for a long time." He said pinning a second pip to the collars of Flores, Kolez, T'Vrell and Zarva's uniforms. "Now follow me to the shipyard. Time to pick our new ship." 


	7. Chapter 7 Researcher Rescue

Chapter 7

Researcher Rescue

 _Personal Log: Lieutenant Commander James Maxwell, acting Captain of the U.S.S. Sentry NCC-61890-A, a Saber-class escort. The new ship is working out very well. She's highly maneuverable, which will come in handy with the pair of phaser cannons she came equipped with. Though I had my eye on a newer Gladius or Exeter-class ship, the Sentry will do just fine. We are currently on an inner system patrol near the Orion system. Being so close to the Orion homeworld, our chances of encountering Orion pirates are high but…_

 _"Bridge to Captain Maxwell."_ Came Flores' voice over the comm.

"Go ahead." He replied

" _We're receiving a distress call. The ship is identified as the S.S. Azura II. Commanded by Captain Brott._ " She reported

"Alter course to intercept and increase to maximum warp. I'm on my way." He replied

A moment later he arrived on the bridge. "Report."

"The S.S. Azura II reports multiple Orion Corvettes closing in on their position. They've taken refuge in the atmosphere of a nearby gas giant. It should hide them for some time." Reported Flores

"Let's hope it's long enough to get there. Time?"

"Ten minutes."

"Any other Federation ships in the area?" he asked

"All other available ships are an hour or more away." Reported T'Vrell.

"Guess it's up to us then."

The ten minutes went by faster than Maxwell thought, but by the time they dropped out of warp a diagnostic had been run on the engines, weapons and shield systems. Sensors were also calibrated. "Scan the area."

"I'm detecting six Orion Corvettes conducting a search of the gas giant, but I'm not detecting the S.S. Azura II in the atmosphere." Reported T'Vrell

"Debris?"

"None."

"Hail them."

"No response."

"Sir, they're charging weapons!"

"It's a trap!"

"Evasive maneuvers, pattern Delta-5. All weapons fire at will."

The Saber-class ship went into an evasive roll, firing phasers and torpedoes wildly. Two corvettes lost shields; the rest turned to pursue. The mass of the gas giant prevented the ship from going to warp. It was the perfect ambush.

However, what the Orions didn't count on was the amount of patrols going through the system. A trio of Centaur-class tactical frigates dropped out of warp, having detected the battle and rushed to aid the Sentry.

A flurry of torpedoes from all three ships hit the remaining four corvettes and drained the shields by nearly half. The battle degraded into a 'dogfight' of sorts only instead of fighters, small starships were chasing each other around. The Sentry dropped in behind one and fired its forward weapons. Pulse phasers, phaser beams and torpedoes dropped the corvette's aft shield and caused a core breach.

One of the frigates lost its port nacelle, but was avenged by its comrade firing two high yield torpedoes into the offending ship. Phaser beams crisscrossed space with disruptors adding a green color to the light show.

"Open a channel to the frigates. This is Lieutenant Commander Maxwell, all ships fall back and assume attack formation Alpha-1"

"The remaining frigates have acknowledged our signal, sir." Reported T'Vrell.

"We need to end this fight fast before the Orions finish off the disabled ship," said Maxwell.

"The frigate's shields are still up although weaker than normal. Their warp core is destabilizing! If we don't hurry, there will be a core breach," reported Flores

The four remaining Orion ships had moderate damage and luckily decided to ignore the disabled ship and focused on the active threats. While the choice was tactically wise, they didn't last long against three relatively undamaged Federation starships.

When the last Orion ship exploded, the _Sentry_ immediately began evacuating survivors from the disabled frigate. It didn't take long with two other ships assisting in transport. Unfortunately, the ship itself succumbed to its wounds and exploded as the ships jumped to warp.

The _Sentry_ arrived in orbit of earth and docked at Earth Spacedock. Maxwell went directly to Quinn's office after receiving a message from him.

"Commander Maxwell. Please come in. Have a seat. Nice work getting out of that ambush and for rescuing the crew of the disabled ship."

"Thank you, sir. But we wouldn't have made it if they hadn't shown up. We were outnumbered six to one."

"Steep odds."

"We were lucky, sir."

"Indeed. But that's not why I called you here. I have a mission for you. We've lost contact with our science station in the Kassae system. All communications from Kassae II have to be boosted by satellite due to metreon isotopes prevalent in the system. This may be a simple repair job, but be prepared for anything. So, take your ship to the Kassae system, assess, and if necessary, repair the satellite and reestablish comms with our station there. Good luck."

"Yes sir."

Maxwell returned to the _Sentry_ and the ship exited Spacedock on maneuvering thrusters. Once it was clear, the ship jumped to warp. With its improved warp core, the _Sentry_ made it to the Kassae system in three days. Dropping out of warp, the ship immediately scanned and detected a trio of Gorn Vishap-class frigates.

"Well, I guess we know what happened to the communications array. I'm getting a jamming signal with Gorn characteristics. I recommend we deal with them first before trying to fix the relay." Flores said.

"Agreed. Helm take us in. Attack Pattern Alpha Two."

The _Sentry_ swooped in from above and fired a spread of torpedoes at the three ships. One was destroyed instantly, the other two returned fire as the _Sentry_ opened up with its forward weapons array. A phaser beam, a set of dual heavy cannons and a torpedo launcher fired at once. Three beam hits drained the forward shield of one of the frigates, three more cannon shots and a torpedo finished it off. Then the _Sentry_ turned to the last one and focused its weapons on it. The last frigate fought hard but didn't last any longer than the other two.

"T'Vrell, scan the relay." Maxwell ordered

"I'm detecting significant damage to the relay sir. They are not responding to hails but I'm detecting both Federation and Gorn lifesigns along with multiple fires on the station. I recommend we send an assault team to clear the Gorn and recue the researchers." She said

"Agreed. Have a security and medical team met me in transporter room one. Flores, you have the bridge." He said

Maxwell met three security officers and three medics in the transporter room. The entire away team was decked out in full combat gear. Energy dampening armor, personal shields and full auto/split beam rifles. "Energize."

The seven-man team appeared on the station, smoke filled the air and one team member coughed. Running up to them was a scientist, surprisingly a Cardassian Female.

"Thank goodness you're here. The Gorn, they just stormed in shooting everything. There are only a few of us left. Hostages. Please you have to help them."

"Why is the automatic fire suppression system not working?" asked one of the medics.

"The Gorn destroyed our computer core and many of our automated systems, including fire suppression. There are auxiliary fire suppression devices in the walls you can use." She replied

"Thank you. You'll be safe on the _Sentry_. We'll try and help your colleagues. Maxwell to _Sentry_ , we've found a survivor. Beam her up immediately."

 _"Acknowledged."_

The scientist disappeared in the transporter beam and Maxwell retrieved a set of fire extinguishers. He passed them out to the medics and told the assault squad officers to take point. One medic put out a fire blocking their path then the assault officers opened fire on a trio of Gorn. Two were fairly small, the third took several phaser hits to put down. Maxwell tagged an Andorian scientist for transport and they moved up a floor. The team stormed a bigger room with several Gorn, fires and two scientists. Maxwell and the marines did most of the heavy fighting, with the medics hanging back to put out the fires. Once the room was clear of Gorn, the medics finished putting out fires while Maxwell tagged two more scientists.

The team moved into a hallway, one direction was blocked by debris and led back to the beam-in point. The other was blocked by fire. Maxwell told the medics to put the fires out then moved on. The team entered a large room with an upper level. There were fires everywhere…and Gorn. Several smaller 'Ranger'-class Gorn attacked with disruptors. Maxwell and his team responded with phaser fire. From the left however came a chunk of the floor hitting one of the medics. A 'Hudch'-class Gorn had hurled the debris at the team. This Gorn was massive, strong enough to rip sections of the floor and throw them at the team.

Another chunk of flooring was hurled at Maxwell. He saw it coming and rolled to the right, dodging the projectile. "Redirect fire on Godzilla!" he yelled and fired his full auto rifle at the massive reptile. The three phaser pulses just seemed to tick it off though. However, three more phaser beams hit it and combined with Maxwell's rifle and a medic's pistol the big Gorn went down. "Anyone hurt?" asked Maxwell.

The team answered in the negative and Maxwell issued new orders. "Ensign Mallard, put out as many fires as you can, the rest look for anymore survivors." Maxwell tapped his combadge. "Maxwell to _Sentry_ , uplink with the stations computer and see if you can download the logs. Try to find out why the Gorn would attack an archeological research station."

 _"Acknowledged."_

Maxwell found the last scientist trapped between two fires on the upper level. After putting out the last fire, the Starfleet officers and one last scientist beamed aboard.

Flores met him in the transporter room. "Captain, the other scientists we rescued said there was a team at a dig site on Kassae IV. I tried to contact them to make sure they are safe but haven't gotten a response. I think we should check it out."

"Agreed." Maxwell nodded and hit a comm. panel on the turbolift. "Bridge, this is the Captain. Set course for Kassae IV, warp five."

" _Course laid in sir."_

"Engage."

The U.S.S. _Sentry_ arrived at Kassae IV in just a few seconds. They found a Gorn cruiser in orbit which immediately opened fire.

"Return fire. All weapons." Ordered Maxwell.

The ship's main weapons, a pair of phaser pulse cannons bored into the forward shields. A phaser beam scorched the hull. A second later three quantum torpedoes buried themselves in the hull which exploded violently.

"T'Vrell, scan the surface for human and Gorn lifesigns."

"Aye sir."

"Flores, prep a squad of marines. Looks like we're gonna have to rescue more researchers."

"Yes sir."

The 'Marines' Maxwell referred to were a group of assault squad officers. Technically they were closer to Naval security than actual marines but they had the same general combat training. Federation Marines or MACOs as they're officially designated are more specialized assault troops, usually assigned to large cruisers in company or battalion-sized groups. Escorts only carry half a platoon and only in active combat zones.

"Captain, I'm detecting a small group of humans in building on the southern continent. I can't get a transporter lock on them. There appears to be a shield of some sort preventing a positive lock." T'Vrell reported

"Very well. Time to send in the marines. Initiate transport." Ordered Maxwell

On the planet a six-man team of Starfleet officers appeared. All six were wearing the newer Mark IV energy dampening armor and personal shields. These were the latest models and Starfleet was always finding ways to improve them.

 _"Sentry to ground team. Your orders are to deactivate the shield and rescue the researchers. Any Gorn encountered are considered hostile."_ Said Maxwell over the comm.

"Understood _Sentry_. Listen up, the shield is power by three generators. The closest one is that way. Mendoza, take point." Said Lt. Avery Johnson. Johnson was an experienced assault squad officer and well on his way to becoming a MACO.

Mendoza crept through the underbrush until he held up a fist. The signal to 'stop'. He pointed to his ear and to the right. Johnson understood the signal to mean 'sound contact, to the right'. Johnson held up two fingers and pointed left and right a signal for his team to break in two and encircle the generator. The marines moved slowlyas to not alert the Gorn to their presence. Johnson activated his target optics, which would increase the accuracy of his team. Once they were in position the team opened fire. The Gorn were caught completely off guard and were killed instantly.

"McKenzie, deactivate this generator. Then place a charge. We don't want a patrol coming around and reactivating it."

"Yes sir." He replied. The technician tapped a console for a moment then the generator shut down. Another marine with his tricorder out reported a drop in shield power. Johnson brought up a tactical map of the area and found the next generator. His team moved out and a few minutes later found the second generator. The brush around it had been cleared to twenty meters. Too far for an effective ambush. Johnson fell back on an old Marine adage 'when in doubt, call in an air strike'.

"Johnson to _Sentry_. Have located second generator. Requesting orbital strike at these coordinates."

" _Acknowledged. Ordinance is on the way."_ Replied Maxwell.

A single quantum torpedo burned through the atmosphere and hit the ground near the generator. The Gorn were flash-blinded by the explosion and a few were killed by the shockwave. At the same time Johnson activated the charge placed on the first generator, destroying it to prevent the Gorn from recharging the shields. Johnson's team took out the rest of the Gorn here then deactivated the generator and destroyed it.

The way to the third generator led them past a circular building. A covert look inside revealed a massive Gorn captain and at least one researcher. The marines also found a body outside the building; a human, cause of death: multiple lacerations.

The last generator was protected by a larger force of Gorn. But Johnson was confident he had the tactical advantage. "Ok here's the plan. I'll snipe the trooper on the left. McKenzie, suppressing fire on the rest. Perez, take out the handler and his two dogs. The rest of you pick a target and open fire after the first shot. No one fires until I do."

Johnson raised his sniper rifle and targeted the trooper on the left. A single shot put him down but alerted the rest of the Gorn. From another direction, a flurry of phaser pulse bolts flew from McKenzie's full auto rifle into the Gorn position hitting multiple enemies. A phaser beam set to its highest density punched through a Handler and killed him. His two pets now angered began running toward the marines. Two more phaser beams hit them and they fell. The Gorn shot back with disruptors, but the marines armor and shields were up to the task. As fast as the firefight had begun it ended. McKenzie deactivated the last generator and the shield collapsed. Johnson and his team double-timed it to the building where the researcher was being held.

The six marines stormed the building from different angles putting down the captain's guards before they knew what hit them. The captain himself took several hits but managed to throw a piece of the floor at McKenzie who was injured from the projectile. More phaser fire hit the Gorn captain and he ended up beaming out with the last researcher. Johnson hit his combadge. " _Sentry_ , the Gorn captain was beamed out. Along with at least one researcher. No other Gorn or human lifesigns detected. Requesting beam up."

" _Understood. We're moving to engage another Gorn ship in orbit. The researchers are aboard it. Once we bring it's shields down we'll beam you there and you can rescue the researchers. Standby."_

"Understood. Ok boys get ready for a boarding action. Once the _Sentry_ lowers the shields of a Gorn ship in orbit they're going to beam us there for the rescue op." he said.

Back on the _Sentry_ , Maxwell held onto the back of his chair as the ship rocked from disruptor and torpedo fire from the Gorn cruiser.

"Shields at seventy-five percent and falling." Flores reported.

"Bring us about, all power to forward shields and weapons. Target their shields, weapons and engines. We have to stop them from escaping."

"Aye sir."

The _Sentry_ quickly turned evading a few shots and a torpedo before returning fire. Dual phaser cannons, phaser beams and torpedoes hit the Gorn cruiser and managed to punch through the shields. In moments the cruiser's shields were down but weapons and engines were only damaged.

"Get a lock on our team on the planet and beam them to the Gorn ship." Ordered Maxwell.

" _Sentry_ to ground team, standby to board Gorn cruiser." Said T'Vrell into the comm.

" _This is Lieutenant Johnson, we're ready when you are."_ Came the reply.

"Initiating transport."

A moment later the six-man team found themselves on the Gorn cruiser in a hallway. "McKenzie, scan for human lifesigns. Then take point." Ordered Johnson.

McKenzie pulled out a tricorder and began scanning. He found them quickly and pointed down a hallway to the right. "They're in the brig Lt. This way."

McKenzie moved up and raised his rifle moving quickly through the corridor they neared the brig. As they came to a corner McKenzie lowered his rifle and took a look around the corner. There was a group of five Gorn guards in front of the door. He held up five fingers, signaling the rest of the team how many enemies there were. Johnson nodded to McKenzie who whipped around the corner and opened fire with his full auto rifle. The secondary full auto sweep kept the Gorn heads down and allowed other members of the team to advance and take cover on either side of the corridor before opening up.

As the team began to engage they heard a rough alarm then a snarl over the intercom. The universal translator kicked in. " _Boarders on deck six! Security move to the brig."_

The team moved in, increasing pressure on the Gorn guards equipped with only disruptor pistols for defense. One by one the Gorn fell until none were left. "Perez, open the brig. The rest watch for responding security."

Perez worked quickly on the door control and was able to get it open fast. He rushed in and took down three more Gorn guards then looked in the cells. He found a dozen human scientists, most were still alive, all needed medical attention. He quickly deactivated the forcefields and summoned the team's medic. "Lt, I've found the civilians. But they're all hurt and will need medical attention." He said

"Understood. _Sentry_ this is Johnson. We have the scientists. But they're all injured beam them directly to sickbay." He said

" _Acknowledged. Initiating transport."_

The scientists disappeared in blue light but just before the assault team was to beam out they were engaged by Gorn security forces. These were better trained and carried full tactical gear. An intense firefight broke out and the weapons fire created interference against transporters. The _Sentry_ could only transport one at a time. So they started with the ones furthest from the Gorn and moved up to McKenzie and Perez, then took Salma, a Betazoid technician. Interference prevented them from retrieving Johnson so he began to move closer to the hull but got pinned down in a junction. He was firing his rifle one way and his sidearm another, not really hitting anything but just keeping the Gorn away. Finally, his signal cleared and he materialized on the transporter.

"We've got him."

"Sir, the Gorn ship, I think it activated a self-destruct."

"Go to warp! Any heading!"

The _Sentry_ quickly pulled away from the Gorn ship and jumped to warp as the ship's warp core exploded.

The _Sentry_ returned to Earth with the researchers and put into Spacedock for maintenance and repairs. In the meantime, Maxwell met with Admiral Quinn for his next assignment…


	8. Chapter 8 The Kuvah'magh

Chapter 8 The Kuvah'magh

As Lieutenant Commander Maxwell sat in Admiral Quinn's office, they finished debriefing and moved on to his next assignment. "A representative of the Klingon Empire has agreed to meet with Miral Paris on Regulus IV. Lieutenant Paris is believed by some Klingons to be the Kuvah'magh, a savior figure of some kind. Whether it's true or not right now it's our best chance for peace with the Klingons. Rendezvous with the U.S.S. _Kirk_ and the U.S.S. _Blackbeard_ , another Saber-class escort, at Vulcan. The _Sentry_ and the _Blackbeard_ will escort the Kirk to Regulus where you will join Captains Thelin and Sparrow along with Lieutenant Paris" he said

"Sounds like heavy escort for a diplomatic mission." Maxwell commented.

"Let's just say I owed her father a favor and he asked that I guarantee her safety. I'm also assigning an Omega team for her personal protection. While some Klingons think she is a savior, others disagree…violently with that belief. With this meeting having even a slim chance for just a cease-fire we're not taking any chances with a disruption." Quinn replied

"Paris…I know that name from somewhere…Voyager? Her father is Captain Tom Paris? The Pilot?"

"Your memory serves you well."

"Yes sir. My helmsmen, Ensign Potter has studied all his maneuvers."

"Those should come in handy if you run into trouble. Speaking of trouble, I should remind you that protocol for diplomatic missions like this specify that the attending representative should be removed from combat immediately. So if hostilities do break out, one of the ships should immediately beam her up and jump to warp. In this case if possible the _Kirk_ should perform that function. Be aware that intelligence has picked up chatter regarding this meeting and the Orion Syndicate. It's possible the Orions or some rival Klingon faction may disrupt the proceedings."

"Yes sir."

"Good luck Commander. Dismissed."

Maxwell returned to the Sentry to find all battle damage from the last mission repaired and torpedo launchers reloaded. The Sentry departed Spacedock on course for Vulcan. As the ship jumped to warp, Maxwell had a strange sense of Deja vu. The last time he took a ship to Vulcan the Captain died. He only hoped it wouldn't turn out that way.

As luck would have it the journey to Vulcan was uneventful. The Sentry rendezvoused with the Kirk and Blackbeard and then jumped to warp on course for Regulus. It would take a few days to get there so Maxwell spent the time drilling his ship's company in emergency procedures, using the ship's only holodeck.

After three day's journey the small Starfleet group dropped out of warp in orbit of Regulus. A Klingon Vor'cha-class cruiser was also in orbit carrying the Klingon delegation. The three Starfleet ships took up stationary orbit well away from the Klingon ship and Captains Thelin, Sparrow and Maxwell joined Lieutenant Paris on the surface in the Federation Embassy. The talks were seemingly going very well with the details of a cease-fire being hashed out when an explosion rocked the Embassy.

"Maxwell to Sentry, status report!"

 _"Sir, a bird of prey decloaked in the atmosphere and attacked the Embassy are you okay?"_ asked a concerned Flores.

"We're ok down here. Find that ship and destroy it immediately." Ordered Maxwell

 _"It's already left the system sir, but we have a new problem. Four Orion Corvettes, one Brigand cruiser, a Corsair flight-deck cruiser and a Klingon Negh'Var have dropped out of warp. They are demanding we surrender the…Kuvah'magh? They are transporting ground troops. Standby for beam-out…not good. The Orions are jamming our transporters you have to get outside!"_ replied Flores.

Maxwell pulled a rifle from a nearby arms locker and handed out a phaser pistol to both Captains and the Lieutenant. The Klingon delegation was already armed with their own disruptor pistols; their ship was also having similar difficulties in transport. The Klingon ambassador ordered his ship to help the Starfleet ships as they engaged the Orions and joined Maxwell and his team as they prepared to fight their way out of the embassy.

The Omega team assigned to guard Lieutenant Paris was in the hallway, having felt the attack, moved to engage the ground forces. A mix of Klingons and Orions. Maxwell and the rest of the diplomatic group joined them in fighting the interlopers.

Maxwell moved down a hall in the lead, turned a corner and immediately dropped a Klingon standing in the middle of the hall. A group of Klingons turned a corner and opened fire. Maxwell took cover behind a potted plant as the Omega team and diplomatic group returned fire. Paris brought down two Klingons with her pistol, while the Klingon Ambassador was apparently a master marksman with a disruptor pistol hitting the other three Klingons in the head putting them down instantly.

The group reached the main entryway and found a dozen Klingons and another dozen Orions waiting for them. A massive firefight broke out and the diplomatic team began taking hits. Maxwell's shields nearly failed before he took cover to let them recharge. Then came up and fired at as many targets as he could. Eventually the diplomatic team won out and emerged from the darkened corridors of the Embassy to the bright sunlight.

Waiting for them were half a dozen Klingons clustered around a device of some kind. Maxwell turned to throw a grenade but one of the Omega operators stopped him. "Sir, it's a bomb. A grenade could set it off." He said

"Glad you stopped me. Take out the Klingons then see if you can't disarm it." Maxwell replied

"Yes sir." Replied the operator

He and his team used their armor's active camouflage system to disappear and silently slit the throats of four Klingons. The other two was immediately alerted but had their throats cut as well. As the Klingons bled to death one of the Omega members appeared and began working on the bomb. "Was it red, red, green? Or red, green, red?" he said to himself. Another member spoke up "And _he's_ supposed to be the demolitions expert?"

A moment later the man working the bomb said "Clear." An indication that the bomb had been disarmed.

"Let's move on. Maxwell to _Sentry_. We're outside but we've detected spaciel charges in the vicinity. We'll have to disarm them before beaming up."

" _Understood. But we're taking a beating up here. We're doing what we can but we are heavily outnumbered. We just lost the Klingon shi-."_ The signal dissolved into static.

Maxwell turned to the Klingon Ambassador. "I'm afraid your ship has been destroyed. Our ships are doing what they can but they are outnumbered. When we're finished you can beam onto any one of our ships."

"Thank you commander."

Maxwell sent the omega team ahead to disarm the other three charges detected. Maxwell had another plan. Moving into a nearby building and fighting past a group of Orions, Maxwell managed to access a subspace comm array and send a distress signal.

" _This is Lieutenant Commander Maxwell; we are under attack at Regulus by a Klingon-Orion fleet. Need immediate assistance. We only have three Federation ships and are heavily outnumbered."_

Five minutes later the omega team reported all charges disarmed and the Klingon and Orion troops retreated. " _Sentry to ground team standby for evacuation."_

A four-man omega team, three captains a lieutenant and three Klingons disappeared in blue light.

Captains Thelin and Sparrow were transported to their ships at the earliest opportunity. The Klingon Ambassadors were escorted to quarters. Maxwell went to the bridge and asked for a report.

"Shields are down to 75%. We've taken damage to engines and life support. The Blackbeard and Kirk are damaged in much the same way. We took out two corvettes and the Brigand cruiser. But every time we clear the area of interceptors the other cruiser launches more and the Negh'Var is deploying boarding shuttles like they have unlimited crew. We managed to disengage just long enough to beam you up." Reported Flores.

"Sir, I have orders from the Kirk. We're to form up with them and punch out way through to the edge of the system. There is a device preventing us from forming a stable warp field. If we destroy it, we can escape." Said T'Vrell.

"Hopefully more ships will arrive soon. I managed to send a distress call from a comm array on the surface. It was probably garbled but maybe someone heard it." Replied Maxwell.

 _U.S.S. Renown – In orbit of Vulcan._

"Repeat the message." Captain Vo'Lok said.

" _This is Lieutenant Commander Maxwell; we are under…Regulus by a Kli…on-Or…n fleet. Need…stance…Outnumbered."_

"Time to Regulus?"

"Four hours at maximum warp." Replied the helmsman

"Sir, we have a transwarp conduit ending in that system. We can be there instantly." Replied his first officer.

'Very well. Red alert. Standby transwarp drive. Signal any available ships to accompany us."

"Yes sir."

 _U.S.S. Sentry – Regulus Orbit_

"Fire!" yelled Maxwell.

The Sentry fired its forward weapons in a spread to catch multiple targets. The enemy fleet lost the last Corvette and shields on the last two ships were weakened, but interceptors and boarding shuttles were swarming the three ships. A shuttle managed to breach the hull and Klingons swarmed onto the ship.

Another trio of Orion Corvettes dropped out of warp along with six B'rel-class birds of prey. The Kirk engaged the Klingon ships while the Blackbeard attacked the center of three Corvettes. The Sentry took a hit on the port nacelle and began drifting. With Klingons aboard the crew couldn't concentrate on repairs.

The three ships were fighting desperately but when all hope seemed lost, a transwarp conduit appeared. One crewmen aboard the Kirk thought it was the Borg but quickly corrected himself. The U.S.S. Renown and six frigates appeared and immediately engaged. Three frigates hit the swarm of fighters and shuttles. The Renown and remaining ship engaged the Negh'Var. It didn't take long for the ship to be forced to retreat.

With the Negh'Var out of the picture the remaining Orion ships turned and jumped to warp. Captain Vo'Lok spoke with Captain Thelin then beamed a repair and medical team aboard the Kirk and Blackbeard.

On the Sentry the fight for the ship had reached a draw with Klingons controlling the center and Starfleet still controlling the bridge and engineering. Maxwell was leading a security team to clear the ship when he heard transporters. He rushed around the corner, weapon raised…and immediately lowered it. "Captain Vo'Lok."

"Lieutenant Commander Maxwell. It is agreeable to see you again." Replied Vo'Lok

"And you, Captain. But we're not done here, there are two dozen Klingons aboard. I could use your help to clear them out." Replied Maxwell

"Very well. We will accompany your team." He replied

Maxwell and Vo'Lok along with nearly a dozen security officers moved through what used to be crew quarters. The Klingons had taken all of deck three, most of which were crew quarters. Internal sensors were down so the crew had been conducting a deck by deck search when they ran into Vo'Lok on deck 2. Moving down a corridor a group of six Klingons charged but were almost instantly cut down from a dozen phaser rifles hitting them at once. They turned a corner and found seven bodies in Starfleet uniforms.

Maxwell knelt next to an ensign with severe disruptor burns, he felt for a pulse but found none. "Check and see if any of them are alive." He ordered.

A security officer pulled out a tricorder and scanned the immediate area. Finding no life signs, he slowly closed the device and shook his head. "I'm sorry sir. They're gone."

Maxwell sighed heavily, then stood and readied his weapon again. "There could be more Klingons. Let's keep searching but keep an eye out for more casualties."

Vo'Lok raised an eyebrow in a typical Vulcan fashion then moved up beside Maxwell. A sudden call over the comm interrupted their search.

" _Zarva to Security, we're under attack, requesting immediate assistance."_

"Maxwell to Zarva, we're on our way. Hold tight." He replied

" _Captain, I managed to get the internal sensors back online. From what I can tell, there are two dozen Klingons left and they all decided to com_ e _here._ " She said, phaser and disruptor fire sounded off in the background. " _Please hurry!_ _AAARRRGGG"_

"Zarva? Zarva! Report!" Maxwell looked at Vo'Lok then moved to a system display panel. "Captain, we'll use a sight-to-sight transport to get to engineering faster than a turbolift. Your team will transport here, mine here." He said pointing to corridors leading to engineering. "We breach from both sides and catch the Klingons in a cross fire."

"A sound tactical plan."

The transporter room was right around the corner and thankfully under Starfleet control. Maxwell set the controls for a sight to sight transport and both teams dissolved in blue light only to reappear a moment later in separate corridors. Maxwell checked his position on a nearby display and smiled. "Right where we're supposed to be. Maxwell to Vo'Lok, transport successful, advancing on target."

" _Understood. We are moving that way as well."_

The entrance to Engineering was set at a T-junction, with the Klingons having to defend three separate approaches. Luckily there were only six of them outside the doors, they were dropped by fire from both sides. Both assault teams stacked up next to the large doors. "Before we go in there, remember to watch your fire. Try not to hit the warp core." Every member nodded. "Captain, the manual release if you will." Maxwell asked

Vo'Lok nodded, turned and opened a small hatch with a pump. With his Vulcan strength he pumped the handed five times then hit a button and the door swished open. Disruptor fire immediately assailed both teams but they were all equipped with personal shields which allowed them to rush in under fire. Maxwell ran in and took cover near a console and returned fire. There were two dozen Klingons in engineering, the firefight that broke out was intense. Although they were all equipped with full auto rifles they dare not use the full auto sweep function lest a stray bolt hit the warp core and destroy the ship. So it was a slow, intense and bloody process to dislodge the Klingons and when it was over Vo'Lok himself required medical attention, along with several assault team members. Maxwell crouched over Zarva, his tricorder showed massive internal bleeding and multiple disruptor wounds

"I need a medic over here now!"

Her eyes opened, recognizing him she tried to speak.

"The ship….out of danger?" she asked weakly.

"Yes. We've retaken the ship." He replied

She nodded slowly as a medic quickly arrived to ascertain her condition. He took one look at his tricorder, looked at Maxwell and shook his head then gave her something for pain.

The Renown took the Sentry in tow and brought it to Starbase K-7 for repairs which were extensive. The crew held a memorial service with full military honors. Since firing phasers on a space station was prohibited by regulations, seven shuttlecraft took position outside the windows. They fired a single phaser pulse past the window three times. A twenty-one-gun salute for the fallen.

Once the ship was repaired they went back to Earth Spacedock to receive new crewmembers. Maxwell had to choose from a list of candidates for Chief Engineer, he finally settled on a Vulcan female named T'Pring.


	9. Chapter 9 Treasure Trading Station

Chapter 9 Treasure Trading Station

A few weeks after the fight at Regulus, the Sentry was fully repaired and had just completed a tour of inner system patrols when Admiral Quinn contacted Lieutenant Commander Maxwell.

" _Starfleet has been contacted by a servant of one of the Great Houses. She claims to have vital information about Klingon war plans and is willing to exchange that information for a safe haven away from the Empire. Your orders are to go to the trading station in orbit of Argelius II and make contact with an Orion named Marta. Be aware the area is a hotbed of illicit activity. But they are in federation space and therefore under our authority, however they sometimes resist our efforts to enforce the rules."_

"Sounds like a wretched hive of scum and villainy sir. But I'll keep an eye out." Maxwell said with a slight smirk.

The admiral, well aware of the commander's penchant for 20th century quotes got the reference and smiled as well. _"Very well, Captain. Good luck._ " He replied

Maxwell stepped onto the bridge from his ready room. "Report."

"We're on course for our next patrol section eta three hours. All systems green." Flores replied

"Good. Helm, change course to Argelius II best possible speed."

"Aye sir. Course plotted and laid in."

"Engage."

Flores walked up next to him. "Sir?"

"Get the senior staff together and meet me in the briefing room. We have a new mission from Admiral Quinn." He said quietly

Five minutes later the senior staff was assembled in the conference room and Maxwell explained the mission. "Our mission is to locate and secure an Orion servant of one of the Great Klingon Houses named Marta. She claims to have vital information on Klingon fleet movements and is willing to exchange that information for protection from them. Our latest intel puts her on Treasure Trading Station in orbit of Argelius II. We've already changed course. Kolez, I want you to put together an away team we'll probably have to board the station. Flores, the area in question is rife with illicit activity I want to know what kind we should be on the lookout for. T'Vrell, we'll be taking an Orion onboard so do whatever research necessary to provide her with medical care should she require it. From what I'm told this place is a wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious." He said, winking at Flores and ending the briefing.

Flores face-palmed as she immediately understood the reference. T'Pring and T'Vrell both raised one eyebrow in distinctly Vulcan fashion. Kolez laughed as the officers filed out of the conference room. Maxwell sat in the center seat while Flores took the seat to his right. "Just promise me you won't end up in a Cantina-style shootout with a bounty hunter." She said

Maxwell smiled "I promise."

It took three days at warp 7.5 to reach Argelius. As described by the admiral the system was heavy with unregistered freighter traffic. "The Admiral was right sir. There is heavy traffic in the system. The station is delaying our request to beam aboard. I think they're trying to stall us sir." Said Flores.

"Agreed. I have an idea. Since this area is Federation space and therefore under our authority we have the right and duty to scan every ship for contraband and weapons. T'Vrell perform a wide area scan."

"Yes sir...I am getting faint readings on weapons and illicit cargo. We will have to get closer to find out which ships." She reported.

"Very well. Helm, plot a course that takes us within five kilometers of the three closest ships. T'Vrell, scan by on those scanners." He ordered.

The Sentry pulled alongside one freighter, scanned it but did not detect any illicit cargo. Moving to the next ship in line, the Sentry scanned a second time and detected an illegal substance onboard. Before they could send a team aboard, however the freighter raised its shields and opened fire with a single phaser turret. Three shots hit the hull of the Sentry before it could raise its own shields, however the Sentry's diburnium hull plating held against the relatively weak shots. The Sentry went to half impulse firing aft phasers and torpedoes. A barrage of phaser fire and a torpedo reduced the freighter's shields to 75%. But when the Sentry came about and hit it with a full alpha strike the shields collapsed quickly and the freighter was disabled.

Over the next ten minutes the Sentry scanned and disabled two more freighters carrying illegal cargo. It seemed to do the trick however, because as soon as the third freighter was disabled the station approved the Sentry's request to beam an away team aboard. Maxwell led a team of four officers and beamed aboard the station.

Maxwell and his team beamed into an empty room on the station. One of the officers suggested looking for the administrator of the station to begin searching for Marta. Maxwell agreed and led the team to the club area and found Qaris, the Ferengi merchant in charge of the station.

"Ah my good friends! Welcome to Treasure Trading Station. I am Qaris, the proprietor of this station. I can be your guide to pleasures of the mind, soul and of course the body. We have a special on holosuites today, buy two hours and get a free drink, excluding the top shelf or a round of electronic Tongo. Two of our three suites are currently open if you like I can show you our wide range of availa…" Qaris began but Maxwell quickly interrupted him.

"That's not why we're here. We're looking for an Orion named Marta. Have you seen her?" he asked

"Well, looking for Marta are you? That's valuable information and valuable information always has a price. Say…ten bars of gold pressed latinum." Qaris said carefully.

"Are you trying to extort a federation officer?" asked Maxwell sternly.

One of the security officers spoke up. "Our records indicate that this station has not had its Federation-mandated safety inspection in over two years. Perhaps if we helped Qaris get his establishment up to code it might…jog his memory."

"Excellent idea Lieutenant. Let's take a look around. Shall we?" said Maxwell.

Maxwell scanned a set of crates but found no issues. Another officer scanned Holosuite Two and found that life support had been rerouted to the suite. Qaris offered an excuse but the officer just glared and moved on. Another officer found a crate of smuggled trilithium, an explosive. Maxwell scanned the video Tongo machine and found it was using an illegal probability matrix. Another officer found the waste removal pipe leaking a toxic substance. A group of bar patrons walked over to Maxwell and complained about his inspection. "First our electronic Tongo and then our holosuites. What's next? The synthale? We don't need Starfleet to suck the fun out of everything." He said somewhat drunkenly. Then got angrier when Maxwell didn't respond. "You know what? I don't like the angle of your deflector dish and neither do my friends." He said

"Really? Well I don't like your face. Neither do my friends…" Maxwell said as another dozen officers beamed in heavily armed.

The drunk man seemed to still have some of his senses and backed down so Maxwell continued the inspection by scanning the bar. He found the Saurian brandy didn't have a Federation trade seal. Qaris seemed fed up with his inspection and relented. "Alright! They have Marta in cargo bay six. You cost me more in fines than the Klingon paid to keep me silent. I hope their captain grinds you into rokeg blood pie!." Qaris yelled as Maxwell took his team and the dozen officers to the cargo bay.

Maxwell and the group of security officers plowed through the few Klingons guarding the hallways but a firefight broke out when they hit the cargo bay. Maxwell could see additional prisoners held by forcefields. As his team subdued the Klingons he asked each one before letting them go if they had seen Marta. The second to last prisoner told Maxwell she was in the last cell. Before he could release Marta however a Klingon captain appeared in front of him and began swinging a Bat'leth. The security guards had other problems and therefore could not help. Maxwell ducked several swings then punched the Klingon hard with a left hook. The Klingon stumbled back some, giving Maxwell the chance to pull a sidearm and fire at the Klingon. The captain's armor dispersed the first two shots but the third penetrated the armor and put the man down for good.

The officers who had been injured in the fighting were transported back to the ship. Maxwell released Marta from her force field and introduced himself. "I am Captain Maxwell of the Federation starship Sentry. Are you Marta?" he asked

"Yes." She replied simply.

"We're prepared to give you sanctuary from the Klingons in exchange for your information." Maxwell said

"Thank you. But I will only share what I know with Starfleet Intelligence." She replied

"Very well. Maxwell to Sentry, beam up the assault team, myself and Marta." He ordered

There was a mass beam-out of nearly every person in the cargo bay. The rest returned to their own ships and crews.

Maxwell strode onto the bridge and asked for a report.

"Sir, we were just about to jump to warp when this Klingon ship appeared in front of us." Said Flores.

It was a massive Negh'Var-class battleship. It outgunned the Sentry several times over.

"They are hailing us." Said T'Vrell.

"This should be interesting, on screen." Replied Maxwell.

" _Federation Pa'tak! Do you think you can defeat this ship? You will be desto-"_

The channel was cut as Maxwell rolled his eyes and gave T'Vrell the signal. "Flores, is there any weakness we can exploit?" he asked

Flores ran a tactical analysis and quickly came up with a solution. "The ship itself is powerful however, the targeting systems and shields are pre-dominion war technology. If we stay mobile and don't try to slug it out with them we might have a chance." She said

The ship shook hard and a few sparks flew. "All power to weapons. Helm, evasive maneuvers, attack pattern Alpha II, bring us around behind him, Flores standby for an Alpha Strike. Set cannons for rapid fire, high yield torpedo salvo level two, level one beam overload. T'Vrell use a tachyon beam to drain the shields." He ordered quickly.

The Sentry went into a barrel roll and moved fast. Extra power fed to the impulse engines and the Sentry ran circles around the Negh'Var evading most of its weapons fire. The ship came around behind the larger ship and fired everything it had. A tachyon beam drained the big ship's shields and an overloaded phaser beam punched into the hull, pulse cannons opened a larger hole then two torpedo sunk deep into the hull and exploded, causing a warp core breach and destroying the ship.

Maxwell stood as the enemy ship exploded, "Well done. Helm take us back to Earth, best speed." He said. Then he looked at Marta "I hope your information is worth it."

"Oh it is Commander. Trust me." She replied

Maxwell turned to a security officer. "Ensign, please escort our guest to her quarters."

"Yes sir. This way ma'am." Said the Ensign

A few days later the _Sentry_ arrived at Earth Spacedock and wasted no time docking right away. Maxwell reported to Admiral Quinn's office for debriefing.

"Excellent work on the trading station. Starfleet Intelligence is interviewing Marta as we speak. By all accounts her information is quite valuable."

"That's good news sir." Maxwell replied.

"In light of your recent performance I'm granting you and your crew a forty-eight-hour liberty pass." Said Quinn.

"Thank you sir. The crew will be most pleased."

"Report back here in forty-eight-hours and I'll probably have another mission for you or barring that a set of standard patrols."

"Aye sir."

"Dismissed."


	10. Chapter 10 Secret Orders

Chapter 10 Secret Orders

 _His back against the wall, Maxwell frantically remodulated his phaser pistol again and brought down three more drones before one appeared behind him He moved quickly to avoid the arm grabbing him but was a fraction of a second too slow. His eyes widened as the assimilation tubules pierced his neck and Borg nanoprobes entered his bloodstream…_

Maxwell sat up straight in alarm, breathing heavily. _Thank goodness it was just a dream_. He thought. The woman next to him stirred quietly. "James? Are you ok?" she asked.

"Just a bad dream. I'm alright." He replied while getting out of bed. Shuffling slowly over to the replicator he asked for a glass of water. "Computer, water, cold."

A small glass of water with ice appeared in the replicator alcove. As Maxwell took a sip the communication monitor blinked steadily. _Who would be calling at this late hour?_ He wondered. He walked over to the monitor and opened the channel.

It was the front desk of the hotel he was staying at. _"I'm sorry to disturb you Mr. Maxwell but there is a priority message from Starfleet Command for you."_

"Patch it through."

Admiral Quinn appeared on the monitor. _"Captain Maxwell."_

"Admiral, what can I do for you?"

 _"Sorry to cut your leave short but I have a mission for you and your ship. Report back to Earth Spacedock as soon as you can. Your crew is also being recalled."_

"Understood sir. Would this have anything to do with the informant we rescued?" he asked

 _"Indeed, it does. But that's all I can tell you now."_

"Very good sir. I'll be there as soon as I can. Maxwell out." He said, cutting the channel.

He walked over to the bed and gave his partner a kiss on the cheek. "Wake up. I gotta go. Duty calls."

A few hours later Maxwell and Flores walked into Admiral Quinn's office. "Ah, Maxwell, Flores good. Have a seat." He said then handed them both a PADD. "Marta, the woman you rescued claims that the Klingons have a secret base in the Briar patch."

"The Briar patch? How did they get so deep into our territory?" asked Flores

"That's one of the questions I'm sending you to answer. These are the coordinates to that base. I want you to investigate and ascertain the nature of the base, then destroy it using whatever means necessary." Quinn replied.

"It'll take a few days to get there but we'll get the job done. Will we have any backup should we encounter large enemy forces?" Maxwell asked

"We have a taskforce stationed nearby if you need assistance. They have been made aware of your mission. Distress code word is Abraxas."

"Very good sir."

"Any questions?" asked Quinn.

"No sir," Maxwell and Flores replied.

"Dismissed."

An hour later Captain Maxwell and his crew were once again assembled aboard the Sentry in the conference room. "Lt. T'Pring, you'll find all the information you need to have our engines outfitted for the Briar patch. T'Vrell, I want you to work with her and get our engines to optimal efficiency in the patch. Also, prepare a series of probes to help us search for the base. Once we arrive, while we're searching for the base I want our ram scoop to collect as much metreon gas as we can." He said, handing out a set of PADDs.

Flores smiled knowingly. "The Riker Maneuver." She stated simply.

"Exactly. Hopefully we won't have to use it but just in case…In the event we don't we'll simply jettison the gas in deep space, detonate it and jump to warp. Any questions?" he replied.

There were none. "Very well, departure stations everyone." He said.

The crew filed out of the conference room and took their stations. T'Vrell was already requesting clearance from the dock master which was quickly granted. The new helmsmen, Ensign Mayweather took the ship out on maneuvering thrusters, jumping to warp when the ship was clear.

It took three days at warp seven to get to the Briar patch. On the second day, they passed a large Klingon force near Risa. Since their mission was priority they noted the fleet's location and passed it on to Starfleet Intelligence. The Sentry dropped out of warp outside the Briar patch on the third day and proceeded at full impulse. A half dozen probes were launched, extending the Sentry's sensor range.

"Captain. I have something." T'Vrell reported.

Maxwell stood, making his way to the science station. "This is the last few seconds of telemetry from a probe we launched. It detected a heavy disruptor turret near a pocket of metreon gas. Logic dictates that such a turret would be used in the defense of a weapons facility," She said.

The screen showed the probe approaching a small structure with a turret on top. The turret quickly swung, fired a green bolt and destroyed the probe, turning the image to static.

"Agreed. Send the last known coordinates to the helm…and direct our other probes to the same area."

"Aye sir."

"Coordinates received sir." Reported the helm.

"Engage at full impulse."

"Aye sir. ETA to coordinates five minutes."

A few moments later they approached the turret that had destroyed their probe. As soon as they were detected however the turret opened fire. Three disruptor bolts diffused against the Sentry's forward shields. On the bridge, the ship rocked softly. Maxwell nodded to Kolez, "Torpedoes, maximum yield. Fire when ready."

"Aye sir."

A pair of quantum torpedoes flashed out and destroyed the defensive platform. Then the Sentry continued before encountering a squadron of Klingon fighters. Though not equipped with a point defense system, the Sentry's fore and aft phaser beam arrays was sufficient to destroy the squadron.

"I think we're getting closer sir. There's another disruptor platform ahead." Kolez reported.

"You know what to do Kolez." Maxwell replied

The Sentry's forward phaser cannons fired, rapidly weakening the platform's mediocre shields and detonating the power core. A moment later T'Vrell piped up with a report. "Sir, I believe I've found the base. It is in the middle of a hollow asteroid."

"Very well. Helm, take us into transporter range. Kolez, have an assault team meet me in the transporter room. Full loadout."

"Yes sir."

Maxwell headed for the turbolift when Flores stopped him. "Sir, regulation state- "she began, stalled by her captain's raised hand. "I'm aware of the regulations Ms. Flores. They say a Captain shouldn't beam down to a dangerous area without armed escort. A fully loaded assault team should fulfill the 'escort' mandate quite nicely." He said with a smile.

"Actually, I was going to suggest that Kolez and T'Vrell accompany you."

"No. I can't take the whole senior staff on an away mission. The strike team is plenty and there are medics in a strike team." He replied.

"Alright. Just make sure you come back. I hate paperwork." She said smiling.

"I'll do my best." He responded with equal mirth.

A few minutes later Captain Maxwell and a five-man strike team consisting of three marines, a combat engineer and a medic were in the transporter room. A security officer passed out rifles of varying types to the men beaming down. The Captain took a full auto rifle with a standard sidearm, as did the two of the marines, the other took a sniper rifle. The engineer took a high-density rifle and the medic a split beam rifle. The Captain led them to the transporter pad and activated his rifle. A high-pitched whine sounded as the weapon powered up. He looked at the transporter operator and gave a single order. "Energize."

Six men materialized in a small hallway on the Klingon base. It was dark, as Klingon ships and stations often are. The marines swept the area with rifles but found no targets. The engineer and medic had tricorders out and scanning. "Sir, this base is nearly identical to the listening post we destroyed several weeks ago." The engineer said.

"The one with the Undine infiltrator? I hope we don't encounter one of those. Our familiarity with the last base should make it easy to destroy this one. Start planting charges where you see fit. Marines, move out." The Captain ordered.

The engineer removed a small case from his kit, and opened the lid to reveal a half-dozen spatial charges. He planted one on a support beam, then moved to catch up with his team. He just rounded a corner when he heard a marine yell "Contact front!" The sound of phaser and disruptor fire greeting him. He ran to catch up only to duck back as a burst of disruptor energy splashed against his shields. He eased back around the corner to pick a target, a Klingon officer equipped with a personal shield. Aiming carefully, he pulled the trigger twice. Two beams of energy splashed against the officer's shield forcing him to take cover. The other team members, focused on the more numerous warriors quickly took them down. Moving forward, Commander Maxwell was the first to encounter the officer who had taken cover. The officer jumped up and fired his disruptor pistol at Maxwell. The bolt just splashed against his recharging personal shield, five phaser rifles combined and vaporized the officer. The engineer planted another charge before the team moved on. They fought their way to the end of a corridor where a door blocked their progress. "Breach that door." commanded Maxwell.

The team got into position on both sides of the door. The engineer planted a small circular device in the center of the door and pressed a button. "Breaching. Clear!" he said, ducking to one side. The charge exploded and forced the door in, one of the marines tossed in a stun grenade blinding and deafening everyone inside. The team rushed in and put down four more Klingons before a pair of Andorian scientists peeked out from behind their consoles.

"Starfleet! Thank goodness. They've had us designing weapons for them. When we finish our work, they would take us away. We're the only ones left." One of them said.

"Don't worry, we'll beam you both to our ship. Can you tell me what kind of weapons you've been working on?" asked Maxwell.

"Mostly improved disruptors and torpedoes. But some of the demands were very…specific." He replied.

"How so?"

"They wanted a weapon strong enough to punch through solid neutronium, which is impossible. They also wanted something that could destroy a small moon or planet." The scientist replied.

"Were you successful in creating these weapons?" asked Maxwell.

The scientist sighed and nodded. "There are prototypes in the laboratory down the hall. Be careful, we used extremely high yield torpedoes as a baseline. If one goes up it'll take the asteroid with it and probably ignite every metreon gas pocket in the Briar patch."

"We'll take care of it." Replied Maxwell.

"If I may suggest?" said the scientist.

"Yes?"

"I suggest you take the weapons and dispose of them in deep space. Detonating even one of these weapons would produce a level seven shockwave."

"That would affect an entire star system!" exclaimed one of the marines.

"More like erase it from the galaxy." Corrected the scientist.

"I'll take it under advisement. Maxwell to Sentry, we've found a pair of civilian scientists, beam them up."

 _"Acknowledged."_

"Let's move people." Said Maxwell.

The team moved out of the room and down a hallway, they turned left only to meet four more Klingons at the bottom of a ramp. Once the hall was clear the engineer scanned the room ahead. "I'm detecting at least four separate weapons and several Klingon lifesigns." He said.

"Watch your fire gentlemen. It would do us no good to wipe out the Briar Patch." Maxwell said then nodded to the engineer who once again planted a charge on the door and moved to the side. "Breach charge set. Clear!"

The charge blew in the doors and the team swept in. There was a group of Klingons right in front of them. A marine threw a photon grenade and vaporized a couple of them then the phaser rifles finished them off. This got the attention of almost twenty Klingons. Maxwell recognized the odds and ordered the team to retreat under covering fire. While the Marines suppressed the Klingons, Maxwell tapped his combadge. "Maxwell to Sentry, we've encountered heavy enemy forces. Requesting reinforcements."

" _Understood."_

Another dozen marines appeared and together with the original away team surged back into the laboratory. A fierce firefight broke out but eventually Maxwell and his group prevailed. Engineers attached pattern enhancers to the prototype weapons and they were beamed aboard the Sentry. The computer core was also downloaded, the memory of which contained schematics for other weapons as well. A dozen Klingons beamed in and attempted to take the lab back but were quickly dispatched. Engineers then placed additional spatial charges around the lab.

"Maxwell to Sentry. Area secured, beam us up."

 _"Acknowledged."_

Maxwell appeared on the transporter pad with his away team. The other marines were beamed to transporter room two. He approached a comm. panel. "Maxwell to bridge, status report."

 _"Charges are armed and ready sir. The prototype weapons are aboard and being disarmed as we speak…correction, security just informed me that the weapons are completely disarmed."_ Replied Flores.

"Very well, prepare to get underway." He replied.

Maxwell stepped off the turbolift onto the bridge a few moments later. "Captain, we're being hailed. It's B'vat, he's outside the system." Kolez reported.

"On screen."

The screen changed and immediately the Klingon known as B'vat laughed. " _Ha! Ha! Ha! You are so predictable Lieutenant Commander Maxwell. And like Tarkalean sheep you are led to the slaughter. I knew you would find my weapons facility. It was I who sent Marta to give you the location. While you were destroying what you thought was all our research, my men were already loading the more promising weapons and data onto a ship, which has a nice head start on you. Victory is mine and mine alone! You have lost this day and for you today is a good day to-_ "

"OH, SHUT UP ALREADY!" Maxwell yelled. Startling the Klingon into silence. Flores stifled a laugh despite the situation. "I know all that. But what you don't know is that while you were rambling on I sent a message to a nearby fleet. By now they're moving into blockading positions around the Briar patch. You won't get your weapons." He said, cutting the channel.

He turned to Kolez and nodded. The Saurian tapped a control and the base and its data exploded. "We have a lock on the ship with the weapons. They're out of range for the moment." He reported.

"Helm, pursuit course. Best speed." Maxwell ordered.

The Sentry took off at nearly full impulse catching up to a Raptor-class escort, just the kind of ship the Sabre-class was designed to combat. Phasers and quantum torpedoes hit the shields hard, a tachyon beam drained what little power they had left. A salvo from the aft launcher finished off the ship. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only ship. A Vo'Quv-class dreadnought was further ahead. It outgunned the Sentry by several margins so Maxwell called in some ships from Taskforce 141, the group assigned to help him in case he needed it.

A trio of Centaur-class tactical frigates, a Hermes-class patrol escort and a Galaxy-class cruiser arrived to assist. They opened fire on the port side of the dreadnought while the Sentry hit the aft shields. Maxwell opened a channel to all the allied ships.

"Sentry to all ships. Try for disabling shots. The dreadnought is carrying extremely high yield weapons. If they go off, we will not survive the shock wave." He said.

A string of acknowledgements was sent his way then the fleet shifted its fire to the engines. Moving aft they began hammering the super-strong shields of the Klingon dreadnought. Fortunately, the dreadnought was lacking in aft weaponry so only a few shots rang out. After the initial strike the fleet regrouped and fired an alpha strike. Beam overloads, high yield torpedoes and cannons set to rapid fire pounded the shields which began to weaken. A phaser beam from a frigate managed to penetrate the shields and hit the starboard nacelle, which began leaking plasma.

With a weak point in the shields now obvious the fleet concentrated another salvo near the starboard nacelle. This time the ship lost aft shields completely. The aft hull, while heavily armored, took several torpedoes and phaser bursts. It began to slow and the shields around the cargo areas were drained. The Galaxy cruiser in the fleet transported the weapons aboard and secured them. With the weapons safe, the fleet fired on the warp core of the dreadnought. Another three salvos were required to penetrate the armor and cause a core breach. The fleet evacuated the area at full impulse, they made it just outside detonation range when the dreadnought exploded.

The Sentry rumbled as the rapidly dissipating shockwave hit. "That was close. Contact the Missouri, have them transfer the weapons to us. We'll dispose of them in deep space. Kolez, work with T'Vrell and find us a good spot to detonate these weapons. Someplace out of the way, no planets or anything like that." Said Maxwell.

"Aye sir." They both replied.

"I'll be in my ready room. Comms, get me Admiral Quinn on subspace. Priority one. Route the signal to my ready room. Ms. Flores, you have the bridge." He said.

Maxwell left the bridge and went to his small ready room to the side. No sooner had he sat down than Admiral Quinn answered his call.

"Admiral. We've destroyed the research facility and captured the weapons he was developing. We're going to dispose of them in deep space. We also rescued several civilian scientists who were working at the base as well. We'll turn them over to Starfleet intelligence once we arrive at Earth Spacedock."

 _"Excellent work, Lieutenant Commander. I hate to see the Klingons, or anyone else for that matter, with the level of firepower we were told about. Good call on disposing of them in deep space."_ Quinn complimented.

 _"Bridge to Maxwell."_ Came over the intercom.

"One moment Admiral. Yes?" Maxwell replied.

 _"We've located an area suitable for disposing of the weapons. It's on the Federation border near Cardassian space but far enough away to avoid suspicion._ " Kolez reported.

Maxwell thought for a moment. "Very well. Lay in a course and engage at maximum warp. ETA?"

"About a week sir."

"Ok. Did you get that Admiral?" he asked

 _"I got it. You can drop off the civilian scientists at Deep Space Nine on your way if you like. If I have nothing for you by the time you've disposed of the weapons, feel free to take some shore leave while you're there."_ Quinn said.

"Thank you, sir. I'll think I'll take advantage of that." Replied Maxwell.

 _"If there's nothing else Lieutenant Commander."_

"No sir."

 _"Very well. Quinn out."_

Maxwell stepped back out onto the bridge. "Comms, send our report to the Commander of DS9 and request that Starfleet Intelligence take custody of the civilians we rescued from the Klingon base."

"Aye sir."

"Helm, is DS9 on our way to the coordinates specified for the disposal?"

"Not directly sir, but it's not too much of a detour. I can recalculate our course if you like." He replied.

"Do it." Maxwell replied.

"Aye sir."

"DS9 sir?" asked Flores.

"We're just gonna drop off those scientists we found. Starfleet Intelligence will take custody of them from there. We won't be stopping for more than an hour or so probably. The Admiral said if he didn't have another mission for us by the time we disposed of the weapons that we could take some shore leave there." He replied.

"Sir, a detour to DS9 would not affect our ETA but by a few hours."

"Very well. Engage the new course. Kolez, inform the scientists that we'll be dropping them off at DS9 and that Starfleet Intelligence will be questioning them before they are released."

"Yes sir."

A/N: Special Thanks to FlannelSalmon for beta reading this chapter.


	11. Chapter 11 Task Force Hippocrates

_A/N: I know it's been more than a year since I've updated this story. I've moved to Florida and gotten a job and am now looking for an apartment. Hopefully I can start updating again soon. I have an idea for another fanfic for Babylon 5, perhaps I'll put out a teaser/trailer in the next chapter. As always R &R._

Chapter 11 Task Force Hippocrates

Disposal of the high-yield weapons took several days, but with no interference from either the Cardassian government or the True Way; a Cardassian terror group dedicated to bringing back the old government, the work went by quickly.

The Sentry did have time for a brief stopover at Deep Space Nine and shore leave was extended to the crew. Captain Maxwell had bought some time in a Holosuite at Quark's but brought his own program…

Maxwell ducked as the sword cleaved through thin air. He blocked the reverse swing and retaliated. A steady clang of metal rang through the field as the Colonial Army clashed with British Redcoats. Seeing an opening he stabbed the redcoat who quickly fell to the ground. Looking for another target he spotted an officer. Before he could engage however, a French officer yelled for him. "Colonel! The line is faltering!" he yelled, pointing toward the front of the lines where colonial troops were starting to fall back.

Maxwell grabbed a fallen flag and began running to the house at the top of the hill. "No retreat! Hold! Hold!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.

With renewed vigor, the colonials rallied and pushed over the hill forcing the red coats to retreat. As the British forces began to retreat Maxwell looked around and spotted a British officer riding a horse, headed straight for him. With the flag staff in his hand he stood ready the officer sped toward him the horse's feet pounding the ground. The officer raised his sword ready to cleave Maxwell head off when a beep was heard. He ducked the swing and said "Computer freeze program."

All around him the soldiers froze wherever they were in whatever position they were in. Looking up he said "What is it?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you Commander but there is a priority one message from Starfleet Command." Replied the bartender who had relayed the message to the Holosuite.

"Very well. I'll take it on my ship." He sighed, "Computer, end program."

The battlefield and all the soldiers disappeared, replaced by a standard Cardassian design holodeck. Maxwell exited and grabbed the data rod containing his holo program from the computer. He then proceeded to his ship's ready room. Just before he sat down he approached the replicator. "Tea, earl grey hot." He said, a cup of tea appearing in the alcove. Taking the cup, he sat at his desk and tapped a control. A viewscreen rose and the computer asked for his authorization. "Authorization Maxwell, five delta seven."

" _Commander, I'm sorry to cut your leave short yet again but I have an assignment for you."_ Said Quinn.

"Yes sir."

" _We're getting a higher number than usual reports of Klingon and Gorn attacks on the border of Federation space. I've assembled a task force of tier 2 ships to patrol a set of star systems and I've assigned you to command it since your ship has tactical superiority. You are to rendezvous with the U.S.S. Black Pearl, Flying Dutchman, Majestic, Sarak and Boston at Starbase K-7. Your first patrol is the Xarentine sector."_

"Understood and thank you."

Admiral Quinn paused noticing the cup in Maxwell's hands. _"Is that Earl Grey tea?"_ He asked.

"Oh, yes sir. A Federation Ambassador once recommended the drink to me. On Vulcan, during my desert survival training." He replied

"Vulcan? I thought desert survival was taught in Australia?" Quinn asked

"It was an advanced class sir. In addition to survival it was a continuous escape and evasion exercise." Maxwell replied

" _Ah, I see. Well at any rate, you have your orders. Starfleet out._ "

Maxwell tapped a control on his desk. "Maxwell to bridge. Set course for Starbase K-7, maximum warp. Then assemble the senior staff in the conference room in an hour."

" _Aye sir._ " Flores replied.

Turning his attention to the computer, he began scrolling through various ship reports. An hour later he arrived in the conference room.

"I've been assigned to command a tier 2 rapid response force near the Federation-Klingon border. There has been a sharp increase in the number of Gorn and Klingon attacks in the area, our first patrol is the Xarentine Sector. But first we're going to rendezvous with the rest of the task force at Starbase K-7." He said

"What kind of ships do we have available?" asked Kolez.

"The Black Pearl and Flying Dutchman are both escorts like the Sentry, the Boston and Majestic are both _Exeter-_ class and the Sarak is a Nova-class science vessel." Maxwell replied

"Then may I recommend three, two-ship flights. An escort paired with both cruisers and the science vessel." Kolez said

Maxwell nodded in agreement. "I had the same thought and have already put together a tentative patrol schedule. Dismissed."

It took three days at high warp to rendezvous with the task force and another two to reach the Xarentine Sector. The Sentry was paired with the Nova-class science vessel U.S.S. Sarak and its Vulcan captain T'Pol. On the first day of patrols they received a general distress call from a medical supply ship under attack by Gorn ships. The Sentry and Sarak managed to drive them off and repair the supply ship. However, another call came and this time two pairs of ships responded. A Vulcan medical ship, the T'Pau was trying to assist a colony that was experiencing an outbreak of Takanian syndrome. But the colony was being attacked by Gorn forces. The four ships formed an escort around the medical ship with the escorts in front and the science vessel and cruiser to the port and starboard. The five ships proceeded into an asteroid belt to hide their energy signatures. Unfortunately, a trio of Klingon Birds-of-Prey decloaked and attacked. The Sentry and Black Pearl opened fire immediately, destroying two while the third got in a shot at the medical ship but the ship's shields held against the energy bolts. The third patrol ship was quickly destroyed a second later.

The group encountered a trio of Gorn frigates and Klingon Defense Force ships which were quickly eliminated before the group reached orbit. The captain of the T'Pau, Saalar, hailed Maxwell's ship.

" _Thank you for your escort Commander Maxwell. But we are detecting weapons fire on the planet's surface. Especially in and around the local hospital. We have limited security forces and they are unequipped for such resistance. Will you beam down and secure the area so our doctors can transport safely."_

"Of course, Captain. We'll contact you when the hospital is secured. Sentry out."

Maxwell turned to Kolez. "Kolez you're with me, have a security team meet us in the transporter room. Flores." He said motioning for her to come closer.

"The presence of the KDF means that this is not a simple raid, a hospital is an awfully specific target. I want you to coordinate with the other ships and try to get a tachyon detection grid going, try to prevent more ships from interfering with our operations." He whispered. Then went to the turbolift.

"Aye sir." She replied

Maxwell and Kolez arrived in the transporter room with a four-man security team. Since they were anticipating several close quarters firefights, the team was equipped with phaser carbines, which had a shorter barrel and stock making them perfect for clearing buildings. Maxwell approached the transporter operator. "Ensign, how many enemy lifesigns are in the hospital?" he asked.

The operator tapped two keys then said "I'm picking up approximately two-dozen Gorn and a dozen Klingon lifesigns. They appear to be spread throughout the hospital but there are clusters on the fourth and fifth floors."

"Is the colony's SRU on the scene?" he asked.

"Yes sir. They have secured a perimeter and are standing by to provide assistance as needed." The operator replied

"Good, tell them we're beaming down to the roof and not to breach until we give the signal." Maxwell said then stepped on the transporter pad. "Energize."

The team materialized silently on the roof of the hospital. There were no guards so the team approached the roof access door. A quick scan revealed no booby traps but it was locked as per security protocols. Maxwell tapped his combadge. "Colony SRU, this is Captain Maxwell."

 _"This is Sgt. Greg Parker, SRU. How can we help?"_ asked the leader of the colonial team.

"I need you to unlock the roof access door so we can enter. Once we're in, sweep and clear the first two floors. Then wait for my signal. Use of lethal force is authorized." Maxwell said

" _Understood. I'm sending you a code to unlock any door you come across."_ Parker replied

"Much appreciated. Maxwell out." He said then took his place in the line. Thinking back to his CQB (Close Quarters Battle) training he quickly reviewed the three principles of CQB. _Speed,_ not moving fast but in a steady tactical motion. _Surprise,_ maintaining the element of surprise. _Violence of Action,_ hitting hard and fast. As Captain, he couldn't take point but instead took second place to his security chief. He tapped the Saurian's shoulder once and nodded when he turned back to look at him. Kolez tapped a panel and entered the override code. The door opened quietly and the team moved down the stairs. They encountered a single Gorn guarding the bottom of the staircase and took him out quickly and quietly, then moved into the intensive care wards. Kolez continuously motioned to startled doctors, nurses and patients to stay low and quiet. The sixth floor was clear and Maxwell's team moved to the fifth level. The team was stacked inside the stairwell but quickly confirmed the presence of several Klingons who were at the moment interrogating a security officer.

Maxwell nodded to the officer on point who entered the code into the door. It opened with a light swish and Maxwell immediately aimed and fired taking down a Klingon standing over a wounded security officer. The other members of his team took down two additional Gorn soldiers. Maxwell crouched next to the security officer and motioned for the medic. "What did the Klingons want with the hospital?" he asked

The officer grimaced from the pain but replied "They wanted to know about genetic engineering technology and techniques. But we only used it for medical research."

"Genetic engineering? Why would they want that? They have the same tech." asked one of the officers.

"If it helps, I overheard one of them say something about augments."

"Augments? Super-soldiers…" Maxwell said.

"Sir?" asked an alien officer

"Augments were humanities first experiments with genetic engineering. They produced supermen, with enhanced strength and intellect. But also increased aggression and the idea that normal men were inferior. This led to our Third World War. The last thing we need are super Klingons or Gorn. Let's keep moving."

With the guard stabilized, the team moved on and more Klingons and Gorn appeared and were quickly taken down. Then Sgt. Parker contacted him.

" _Captain Maxwell, this is Sgt. Parker, third floor clear, proceeding to fourth floor."_

"Understood, Sgt. Well done." Maxwell replied.

Maxwell and his team entered another door and saw a patient being held at gunpoint. Maxwell and his team swept the area of Klingon and Gorn. Then rounded a corner and ran right into a huge Gorn who proceeded to rip a piece of the floor out and throw it at Maxwell. One of the officers jumped in front of Maxwell and pushed him to the side. "Look out!" he yelled. The got hit by the flying piece of debris. His personal shields protected him from the brunt of the impact but was knocked unconscious. Maxwell and the rest of the team opened fire hitting the massive Gorn several times until he went down. "Was that an Augment?" asked one of the officers. One medic knelt next to the Gorn and scanned it. "No, this was a Hodch. A Gorn Captain." They replied. The other medic knelt next to the wounded security officer. "A mild concussion and some bruising but he'll be ok." Then gave the officer a hypospray. The officer woke with a start, then remembered where he was and got back up. "You ok ensign?" asked Maxwell.

"Yes sir. My head just hurts."

"That's happens when you get hit by a giant piece of flooring. But next time just let me duck." Maxwell said with a grin.

The officer grinned back "Yes sir."

Maxwell pulled out a tricorder and scanned the area for any more Gorn or Klingons. But the fifth floor was clear. Maxwell tapped his combadge, "Maxwell to Parker."

" _Parker here. We've nearly secured the fourth floor. Give us another five minutes and we should-"_

"Parker?"

" _Sorry, Klingon came out of nowhere. Standby."_

A moment later, Parker got back on the comm. "Fourth floor secured."

"Good work. Fifth floor is clear. I'm contacting the T'Pau so they can beam down their medical teams and supplies."

A moment later Captain Saalar and a medical team beamed down to the hospital. "Thank you for securing the area Captain Maxwell, our security forces would have been no match for Klingon and Gorn troops." He said

"No problem. We found out that the Klingons and Gorn were after genetic engineering technology and techniques, which didn't make much sense because they have a lot of the same technology we have until one of the guards overheard them say something about Augment research. I think they were looking for information to make super-soldiers." Maxwell said

"Surly such information is classified by Starfleet Command?" asked Saalar.

"Darn right. Your hospital wouldn't have had any helpful information that wasn't historical in nature."

"Interesting. At any rate the danger is over, I estimate my crew can get this wing of the hospital operation in 52.1 minutes. You may depart at your leisure." Said Saalar.

"Thank you, Captain. Maxwell to Sentry, five to beam up."

The away team materialized on the transporter pad. Maxwell went straight to his ready room while Flores went to the bridge. "Computer, open a priority channel to Admiral Quinn."

 _Voiceprint verification required._ Stated the computer

"Verification Maxwell-Omega-Four."

 _Verification confirmed. Channel open._

Quinn appeared on his small monitor. _"Commander, I just got your report. Excellent work escorting the medical ship and clearing the hospital. I'm very concerned about the implications of Klingons getting their hands-on Augment research."_

A quick thought appeared in Maxwell's mind. "Sir, maybe it's not for the Klingons but the Gorn instead. The Klingons already tried to make their own augments way back in the 22nd century but it didn't work out too well. They're not really the kind of people to do things again once they've tried and failed."

 _"Perhaps you're right. I will have intelligence look very closely at this. I would hate to have the Gorn learn from the Klingon's mistakes and create their own Augments. This does not bode well. Remain in orbit for the time being, I will contact you again for further orders."_

"Yes Admiral. Maxwell out." Maxwell sighed and closed the channel. Then went to the bridge. "Report." He said as he took his chair. "All battle damage repaired Captain. All systems are operational." T'Pring reported from engineering.

"Good." He turned to T'Vrell. "Contact the hospital and see if they need any further technical or medical assistance." He said then turned to Flores. "We'll be in orbit a little while longer. Keep up the scans for cloaked ships. I don't want any surprises."

 _Captain's log Supplemental: Our mission was a success. We escorted the T'Pau medical ship and cleared the Klingons and Gorn from the hospital. They were apparently searching for information regarding Augment research. Such research has never been successful in the past and we don't know why they would want to try again. At any rate, we've been ordered to remain in orbit for the time being until we receive new orders._


End file.
